Fyre Festival Founder Billy McFarland Arrested On More Fraud Charges

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20222.3K Views

Billy McFarland (L) and Liam McMullan attends Galore X Magnises Fashion Week Valentines Day Dinner at Magnises Townhouse on February 14, 2015 in New York City.

Billy McFarland catches another L.

Fyre Festival was one of the biggest flops in the history of music festivals. The festival's founder, Billy McFarland, didn't get away with whatever scam he tried to pulll scot-free. Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud as well as lying to investors. He's since been ordered to cough up $26M and he's currently awaiting his sentencing. However, it looks like he hasn't learned his lesson. According to a new report, McFarland was arrested earlier today on more fraud charges.

According to The Associated Press, Billy McFarland was arrested earlier today on more fraud charges. The Fyre Festival founder was arrested for allegedly selling fraud tickets for fashion, music and sport events. The head of New York's FBI Office, William F. Sweeney Jr. says that McFarland didn't stop committing fraud crimes after he plead guilty for the Fyre Festival incident. Sweeney says McFarland sold upwards to nearly $100K worth of fraudulent tickets for a variety of events.

"In March of 2018, William McFarland pled guilty to defrauding investors and vendors of the Fyre Festival, but it is apparent that he did not stop there." Sweeney said in a statement, "McFarland allegedly went on to sell fraudulent tickets to many grand events, totaling almost $100,000. Today’s charges depict our intolerance for such fraudulent activity, and we will continue to diligently investigate acts such as this.”

McFarland has been charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Both charges carry up a maximum of a 20 year sentence.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.

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