(UPDATED Sept. 17, 12:04 p.m.):
NorthJersey.com is reporting that Max B's sentence, originally 75 years, has been lowered to 20. Earlier this summer, the rapper's original convictions were vacated due to a conflict of interest on the part of one of his attorneys. Instead, Max pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter. On Friday, a Superior Court judge sentenced him to 20 years for that charge. Considering time served, Max B could be free as soon as 2025.
See original story below.
French Montana confirmed some exciting news for Max B on Instagram: He’s going to be released from prison very soon.
French shared a screenshot of a conversation that says Max B could be released as early as two years. Max B, whose real name is Charly Wingate, is currently incarcerated for charges related to robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and murder.
French also posted a video message explaining he just got off a call with Max.
“I want you to never take God for granted. I just got a special news, my brother just called me. And it’s official. Max B will be coming home in two years,” he says. “Shout out to my brother Max, can’t wait for you to get home. When my dog told me he had 75 and he felt hopeless, he thought he was going to own his coffin after he died. I was like, ‘Believe in God. God is the greatest, God is the biggest.’ Look at it now…if you don’t believe, you better believe.”
Wiz Khalifa was the first to break the news on Twitter. According to Wiz’s tweet, he says Max B will be out in the near future and hinted a collaboration with Taylor Gang. “Max B is coming home. Sentence got shortened. Looks like the Gang will be working wit the Wave,” he wrote.
Max B was sentenced in 2009 after being convicted in 2006 for a robbery at a hotel in Fort Lee, and has since served his sentence for seven years to the date at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. In August 2012, Max B attempted an appeal to his conviction, arguing that the Bergen County Superior Court judge who tried his case made an error by not separating it from Kelvin Leerdam, who was his accomplice. The court upheld their original decision, which meant that Max B wouldn’t be eligible for parole until November 9, 2042.
Max B has done interviews from jail in the past—one with Statik Selektah in 2012, another with Complex in 2013, and a recent phone conversation with Revolt where he spit a new freestyle. French has been a key figure in keeping his name relevant in hip-hop, connecting the Silver Surfer with Kanye West to appear on his album The Life of Pablo. French's most recent mixtape is honor of Max B; it's titled Wave Gods.
In light of the announcement, Complex has obtained a statement from Max B, which you can read below:
Get ready to ride the Wave again.
