Fyre Festival organizer pleads guilty to wire fraud
Billy McFarland faces a maximum of 40 years in jail.
Fyre Festival organizer Billy McFarland has pled guilty to two counts of wire fraud, Bloomberg reports. MacFarland was one of the minds behind the notorious 2017 Caribbean music festival – attendees expecting promised luxury were greeted by dire conditions and a spectacular implosion hours before the festival even launched. The burned concert-goers documented everything on social media, gripping and amusing the world.
MacFarland was arrested and charged in June 2017 with two counts of wire fraud and two counts of false bank statements. He initially pled not guilty in October. "McFarland allegedly presented fake documents to induce investors to put over a million dollars into his company and the fiasco called the Fyre Festival,” acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said at the time.
Bloomberg writes that MacFarland's charges come with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison each, though it's unlikely he will serve much time. Currently out on $300,000 bail, he still faces civil lawsuits from ticket buyers. MacFarland's hearing is set for June, TMZ reports.
On Tuesday, new court documents emerged alleging MacFarland had spent $160,000 on a yacht for Blink 182, one of Fyre Festival's scheduled headliners.