- Culture
- 03 Jul 17
Billy McFarland faces charges of wire fraud and 20 years in prison
Billy McFarland, the so-called businessman responsible for the infamous Fyre Music Festival disaster, was arrested on Friday and charged with wire fraud.
McFarland allegedly doctored documents to convince investors his company, Fyre Media, had been making millions when they had made under $60,000. United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, Joon H. Kim, said, “McFarland allegedly presented fake documents to induce investors to put over a million dollars into his company and the fiasco called the Fyre Festival.”
McFarland and his business partner, Ja Rule (Jeffrey Atkins), promised festival-goers a weekend full of luxury, but delivered a nightmarish experience that cost attendees up to €350,000.
The dinner that @fyrefestival promised us was catered by Steven Starr is literally bread, cheese, and salad with dressing. #fyrefestival pic.twitter.com/I8d0UlSNbd
— Trevor DeHaas (@trev4president) April 28, 2017
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McFarland already has several suits against him for lying about the revenue of Fyre Media and his own investments. Currently, the Fyre founder could face up to 20 years in prison.