The drug dealer who supplied Mac Miller with the substance that ultimately caused his death in September of 2018 will be staying in federal prison after a judge rejected his plea deal as "too lenient"; how long is he staying behind bars?
According to Rolling Stone, the suspect, Stephen Walter, was sentenced to 17 and a half years in federal prison, announced on Monday. He was convicted of the fatal fentanyl overdose of the rapper.
The outlet noted that his plea deal was rejected because he continued to supply "counterfeit oxycodone pills" even after the rapper's passing.
The 49-year-old man initially agreed to stay behind bars for 17 years after having a deal with federal prosecutors in October but since the agreement was "below federal guidelines," prosecutors alleged the suspect of selling cocaine and other dangerous substance called "blues," U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II didn't accept it.
In a courtroom hearing in Los Angeles, the judge said the court had elected not to accept his plea agreement, so if he wanted, he could withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial.
"I may as well lay it out, okay. When you continue to engage in this activity even after your activities killed someone, I'm having a tough time not staying within the guidelines," Wright added.
After discussing with his legal representative, the suspect accepted a higher sentence.
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His sentencing comes after fellow dealer, 39-year-old Ryan Reavis, was sentenced to more than a decade in prison last month.
A statement from Miller's mom was read in court during their hearing, and Wright gave Walter a chance to address the situation.
He apologized to the Miller family, but he alleged that he had no idea until he was arrested that the "The Way" rapper died from something that he supplied.
Walter admitted that his actions caused a lot of pain, and he's "truly remorseful" because he's not the type of person who would hurt anybody.
He then clarified the statement on the paperwork, stating that he continued supplying drugs even after Miller's death, saying it's not true.
Before Wright issued his sentence of 17.5 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release, he clarified that his decision was not based on Miller's celebrity status.
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