<p>May 24 (Reuters) - Rapper Fetty Wap was sentenced on Wednesday to six years in prison after pleading guilty in New York federal court to participating in a large-scale drug distribution ring.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-1">The &ldquo;Trap Queen&rdquo; rapper, whose legal name is William Maxwell, admitted to distributing 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of cocaine. Prosecutors said he was part of a crew that also sold heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey between June 2019 and June 2020.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-2">Maxwell apologized during a sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip, N.Y. He said he was motivated by a desire to provide for his family while his income from live performances dried up during the pandemic.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-3">&ldquo;I only ever wanted to do right by my family and loved ones,&rdquo; Maxwell said, clad in a beige jumpsuit before a packed gallery of friends, family and business associates.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-4">Maxwell&rsquo;s lawyer Elizabeth Macedonio urged Seybert to judge her client not by his songs -- which she conceded glamorized drugs and violence -- but rather by a slew of testimonials to his qualities as a father and family man.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-5">Prosecutor Christopher Caffarone countered that Maxwell engaged in a serious criminal conspiracy and was accused of threatening another man with a gun while on bail.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-6">Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of up to nine years, while Maxwell sought the minimum sentence of five years.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-7">Seybert said a stiff sentence was appropriate given the severity of Maxwell's crimes.</p>
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<div>(Reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)</div>
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Rapper Fetty Wap sentenced to 6 years in prison for selling cocaine