Fyre Festival was a shitstorm of legendary proportions, and now its organizers are facing the consequences. Co-founders Billy McFarland and Ja Rule have been hit with several lawsuits since the festival went down in flames last month. A New York Times feature unearths new details about the festival's shoddy organization and reports that the FBI is “looking into possible mail, wire and securities fraud” in an investigation led by “a prosecutor assigned to the complex frauds and cybercrime unit.”
The NYT explored how the Fyre Festival wreckage continues to adversely affect vendors, employees, contractors, and performers. Numerous parties have yet to be paid; Blink-182, who were scheduled to headline, currently have their gear stuck in “customs limbo.”
Before the festival moved to Exuma Islands, McFarland had advertised for months that it would be held on the fictional island of “Fyre Cay." The NYT:
Well into March, the event’s website — which briefly vanished because its designer had not been paid — claimed it would take place on Fyre Cay, a private island that once belonged to the drug lord Pablo Escobar. Ticket packages included the $400,000 “Artist’s Palace,” with four beds, eight V.I.P. tickets and dinner with one festival performer.
But there was no such island or palace. Fyre employees recalled higher-ups inventing extravagant accommodations just to see if people would buy them — and some did, they said.
The feature shares several anecdotes that reflect poorly on McFarland in particular. At one point, he texted friends and contacts letting them know that Ja Rule would name-drop them in a song for a fee. (“Ja Rule is working on a new song and can mention your name, nickname, company name, etc in the upcoming hit single for $450. 5 Spots. LMK!”) Read the full article here.