Fyre Festival’s YouTube
In the Spring of 2017, Fyre Festival was supposed to revolutionize party-going with its promises of luxurious amenities and rubbing elbows with celebrities.
However, as we all now know, the end product couldn’t be further from the truth, as the island that Fyre was located on lacked all the basic amenities: lodging, food, water, etc. Millennials showed up expecting days of sunshine and alcohol and ended up with hours of fright and confusion.
Now, over a year after the world’s most infamous music festival, the chickens have come home to roost for Billy McFarland, the con-man behind the infamous island disaster.
On Thursday, October 11, McFarland — who faced up to 40 years in prison — was sentenced to six years in jail and was ordered to forfeit $26 million.
via New York Times:
In March, Mr. McFarland pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud after investigators concluded that he had defrauded investors in his company, Fyre Media, as well as a subsidiary that had promoted the music festival, resulting in $24 million in losses.
Then in July, Mr. McFarland pleaded guilty to two more counts of fraud related to another company that he ran while out on bail that sold fake tickets to fashion, music and sports events and was said to have cost at least 30 victims a minimum of about $150,000.
In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors had asked for a prison term of at least 11 years. They called Mr. McFarland “the consummate con artist,” adding: “He betrayed and deceived his investors, customers, and employees while he was living the high life at his luxury apartment, traveling to exclusive locales, staying at luxury hotels, being chauffeured in his Maserati, and entertaining himself and his friends at restaurants, bars, and casinos.”
Despite the promise of luxurious beach-front living, festival-goers arrived at Fyre Festival to find a dilapidated island that lacked basic amenities and necessities such as food, running water, and sufficient lodging.
