There's no question that Fat Joe's got a lot of money. The New York rapper is well-connected with music industry elites. He just hosted the BET Hip Hop Awards, and he's reportedly teaming up with Diddy to create a new TV show on Starz.
Still, when over $300,000 goes missing, a person is going to notice, no matter how well off they are. Fat Joe noticed just that, and is pointing his finger at his accountant, alleging that he misappropriated funds under his and his wife's names.
Fat Joe has been working with CPA Andre N. Chammas for a while, but he started to notice something was up after Chammas fired his assistant Vanessa Rodriguez. Joe grew concerned with how Chammas' firm, BDO, was dealing with his money.
The rapper was first tipped off to something fishy when he noticed that a handful of AMEX accounts had been opened under his wife Lorena Cartagena's name, and neither he nor Cartagena had been notified. The cards were then employed in several big buys, including up to $40,000 in Uber and Uber Eats charges. A tuition payment was also made for Vanessa Rodriguez's daughter.
Fat Joe then found that some of his business entities were missing pretty big chunks of change too. Sneaker Addict Touring had $300,000 taken from it.
Joe alleges that BDO tried to cover up its financial malfeasance by running a Ponzi scheme. Joe claims the company used the accounts of MLB players on the Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox, and Colorado Rockies in the elaborate plan.
According to the lawsuit, funds were taken from Jose Iglesias, Dayan Viciedo, and Luis Garcia to allow the firm to operate without anyone noticing.
[via]