News about Billy McFarland

Comedian Eddie Griffin has called Sean ' Diddy ' Combs a dead man and said he won't leave prison alive as he awaits trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The rapper is accused of forcing women into 'elaborate and produced sex performances', described as 'freak offs' and will now have to serve time in a New York City prison once described as 'Hell on Earth' after a judge denied his bail last week. Combs, 54, will be serving pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn - notoriously plagued by suicides and murders, and once home to fellow disgraced rapper R. Kelly , convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, and fraudster Billy McFarland. But speaking out on the rapper's arrest and spate of charges, Eddie Griffin has warned Combs will likely not survive his time in the infamous prison. Taking to his YouTube channel on Monday, the comedian likened the situation to that of Jeffrey Epstein - the disgraced American financier and pedophile who died while jailed and awaiting a federal sex trafficking trial in 2021.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs, 54, (pictured main) was remanded into federal custody as he awaits trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, and will now be serving pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn (inset). The facility has become the Big Apple's primary federal detention center since 2021, when the Bureau of Prisons shuttered its sister prison in Manhattan - where child sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein died - over its appalling conditions. But the Brooklyn facility - which previously housed fellow disgraced rapper R. Kelly , Ghislaine Maxwell , Martin Shkreli, Allison Mack and Billy McFarland - has similarly been plagued by chronic understaffing, constant lockdowns, outbreaks of violence and a rash of suicides and deaths.

The original 2017 Fyre Festival was a disaster. Instead of the 'luxury villas' advertised, guests sheltered in disaster relief tents, and the 'gourmet meals' turned out to be packaged sandwiches.Thirty-three performers pulled out at the last moment. The young man behind it, Billy McFarland, ended up owing $26million to investors. He was sentenced to six years in prison for fraud. Now free, McFarland has announced a second Fyre Festival next April. It says it will be on an island off the coast of Mexico. Tickets range from $1,400 at the low end to $1.1million for a package, including luxury yachting and scuba diving. He remains hazy about the acts for the comeback festival, though they may include 'Karate Combat on the beach' as well as 'comedy' and 'fashion'. But no worries! I have come up with the perfect bill for Fyre Festival II. With a line-up like this, what could possibly go wrong?

Billy McFarland was jailed for four years after guests paid up to $13,000 on the promise of private jet rides lavish villas and a chance to mingle with top stars only to find cheese sandwiches, no toilets, and bare mattresses in emergency relief tents. He was dubbed the 'poster boy for millennial scamming' after roping in influencers including Bella Hadid , Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner to promote the event which some guests compared to the Hunger Games. The 32-year-old said he has learned from the disaster and began plotting its comeback in solitary confinement but admits he will not get another chance if this one fails as well. 'I shouldn't talk in absolutes, but I will here,' he told the WSJ. 'Fyre II has to work.'

Billy McFarland has agreed to a karate clash against cypto influencer and fighter Alex Shillin Villain in Austin, Texas, next month. McFarland wrote, "I'm donating a significant portion of my fight money to restitution and people owe in the Bahamas." Since selling 8,000 tickets to the failed festival in 2018, he was found guilty of fraud in 2018 and now owes $26 million to the investors, who he defrauded.

Despite the mountains of debt he's dealing with, the 32-year-old told The Sun in an exclusive interview that he still hopes for a second iteration of the festival.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the 32-year-old told The Sun that he wants for a second iteration of the festival despite the mountains of debt he is dealing with. McFarland was sentenced to six years in jail for his role in defrauding investors in the defunct music. According to the outlet, McFarland is now paying the IRS $6,887,435 in back taxes.

The Curtiss C-46 Commando (left and right) - the world's biggest twin-engine aircraft capable of transporting large amounts of commodities - overshot the runway on Norman's Cay before settling on the seabed. The Bahamas island (bottom-right) is now a popular holiday destination, but drug lords have used it for years as an excellent hiding place and stopover for cocaine shipments to the United States. It served as Carlos Lehder's headquarters from 1978 to 1982, one of Escobar's top operatives. Cay of Norman was then chosen by fraudster Billy McFarland as the site for his now famous Fyre Festival.

CRAIG BROWN: Nostalgie de la boue is a French word that refers to a specific French term. It means literally 'nostalgia for mud.' It suggests that many of us, especially the well-heeled, suffer from a mystery yearning for decay, particularly if we can invest a lot of money in the process. After all, why else would anyone spend $450,000 to crouch in cramped conditions on a Virgin Galactic space flight on a journey into the unknown when, for a fraction of the price, they could undergo a similar experience with Southern rail? Billy McFarland, a native American, revealed his impending ventures last week.

The Fyre Festival may be one of the largest failures in history, with promises of a weekend full of luxury but then ending in a disaster scenario that left the visitors trapped on an island with no running water, barely any food, and a mattress in a tent as the only place for them to sleep. But if at first you don't succeed, try again right? That seems to be the plan for Fyre Festival creator Billy McFarland, who recently revealed that he's planning another event for December 2024, despite still owing millions of dollars in damages from the first. Only time will tell if history will repeat itself or if Fyre Festival II will be a success - but in the meantime, take a look at what happened the first time Billy, now 31 years old, attempted to plan a music festival. Here's a complete recap of the Fyre Festival, from every mistake he made to first-hand accounts from attendees.

Billy McFarland said on Friday that he hopes the second itineration of the devastating Fyre Festival, which he hopes to host in December somewhere in the Caribbean, will be'redemption'. "I really hope it's all about hope,'" he told NewsNation: "I really hope it's all about redemption, the second chance. And I think the way I think myself now is that I'm flying a little airplane through a hurricane and people get a front row seat, so they're not sure if I'm going to crash or land. But either way, it's going to be amusing, and it's likely to attract some interesting people.' Andy King (right) has also confirmed that he is back.

The Fyre Festival, which was supposed to be the 'it' event of 2017', was promised luxury and fun in the Bahamas by its hosts Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule. Instead, it was a disaster - and two new films explore why

Billy McFarland, a veteran fraudster, has confirmed that the first run of tickets for his second attempt at the infamous Fyre Festival has sold out. On the website for the redesigned event, which is scheduled to take place in December 6, 2024, the one hundred $499 tickets - the lowest price bracket - took a day to sell out. The particulars of a McFarland story are hazy. The event's website does not have a line-up and details are uncertain as to where the event is actually taking place, which is simply marked as the 'Caribbean Sea.' Also the planned date of December 6 2024 is'subject to change,' according to the event's website. After selling 8000 tickets - with price tags ranging from $1,000 to $12,000 - to the original botched Fyre Festival, McFarland was found guilty of fraud in 2018. On its first day, it was cancelled, leaving many people on the island with no basic amnesties. McFarland pleaded guilty to two charges of wire fraud and was sentenced to six years in jail, in comparison to being ordered to pay back roughly $26 million to his investors. He was released in March 2022.

Pack your water bottles in case of a second Fyre Festival. On Monday, Billy McFarland, the event's sponsor, posted a series of cryptic tweets hinting at a sequel. The disgraced entrepreneur announced, "Fyre Festival II is finally happening." "Tell me why you should be invited." In 2017, the Fyre Festival in the Bahamas promised a luxurious experience of a lifetime. The festival, cofounded by rapper Ja Rule, was also meant to raise McFarland's music-booking app of the same name. Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski, among other models and influencers, were prominent in the company's social media marketing campaign. It has since been well documented that the Fyre Festival fell apart, leaving many people stranded with little food and shelter. Two documentaries were inspired by the festival: "Fyre" on Netflix and "Fyre Fraud" on Hulu.

McFarland was caught up in a controversy in 2017 in which festival ticket holders who mistakenly assumed they were going to a "luxury music festival" held on Pablo Escobar's former private island were actually treated to a disaster festival facing major problems ranging from food to accommodations. McFarland pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and was sentenced to six years in jail, in comparison to being ordered to pay back approximately $26 million to his investors.

The maker of the disastrous Fyre Fest is set to attend a prepaid appearance at a forthcoming entrepreneurship summit in Germany, but he'll have to fork over some of the funds to his victims. Billy McFarland, 31, 31, will speak at the Entrepreneur University Founder Summit next month to share his 'unique market insights,' according to new reports.' McFarland will be paid $19,000 for the show, but a U.S. district judge has ordered that the convicted fraudster will have to pay 40% of the money to his scam victims. Although pleading for his luxurious Bahamas music festival only for tourists, McFarland was able to defraud investors out of $24 million. The 40 percent will pay for a part of his debt to his victims, which was just a fraction of what he owes. After deductions, it is predicted that he will earn about $2,300 from his work.

There aren’t enough red flag emojis in the world, y’all… Billy McFarland, the disgraced head honcho, only recently emerged from jail in May of last year, but it looks like he's planning a re-do. Yes, the 31-year-old dude spent four years in jail since the infamous Fyre Festival sank and burned in 2017. And yet months after finally securing his freedom, he’s going to try again?!?!

People are being warned by Shiyuan Deng (inset) that PYRT, Billy McFarland's (left) new venture, is not for everyone. McFarland, a defrauder who was fired after his failed Fyre Festival (right top and bottom), has revealed PYRT as a "virtual immersive decentralized reality" on TikTok. Despite this, there are some similarities between PYRT and the Fyre Festival, which defrauded victims out of $26 million. Deng, a former product designer at Fyre Media, warned that McFarland is'using different words, but he's selling the same thing, and that PYRT seems to be 'an exercise in smoke and mirrors, buzzwords, and empty promises.' PYRT isn't a festival, but it is a whole lot bigger than anything I've tried before, says McFarland, who has been barred from being a director of a business. No request was received by McFarland for an event in the Bahamas and that he is listed as a fugitive in the region, according to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.

Billy McFarland, 31, introduced PYRT (pronounced 'pirate') in a recent TikTok article, describing it as a 'virtual immersive decentralized reality.' The initiative, according to him, would partner with a'small, remote location' to host a 'handful of artists, content creators, and entrepreneurs.' Some will be able to experience the island's virtual recreation to 'effect' and even have their own world adventures.' McFarland said he would like to host the event in the Bahamas' Exumas. However, the Bahamas government said they would not work with him again and referred to McFarland as a "fugitive" wanted by the local police.

The promoter of the wretched Fyre Festival has now admitted that the'most f***ed up part' of his scheme was lying to those who invested $26 million in his ultra-exclusive event. Billy McFarland, 31, in a recent interview on the Full Send Podcast, discussed the ethical and ethical issues surrounding the festival. The Fyre Festival was promoted as a luxurious event in the Bahamas that promised to give guests a VIP experience, with luxurious accommodations, delectable food, and celebrity attendees. After serving four years out of the six-year prison term he was handed, McFarland was released from prison earlier this year.

The fan villages in Doha, Spain, mimic construction sites, with fewer than 24 hours until the World Cup opens with the opening ceremony and confrontation between the host country and Ecuador. Footage and photos show piles of rubble and sand, ripped up turf, and industrial machinery on-site at the Rawdat Al Jahhaniya fan village, which will welcome thousands of England and Wales supporters for the World Cup. Alongside abandoned forklift trucks and a digger next to hundreds of sea containers, promised services such as a cinema screen and tennis court are also missing. The fitness center/gym appears to have just a few pieces of outdoor furniture close to the fan village's main entrance and road. By the side of a tent that will be used as a mosque during the tournament, the newspaper announced that a huge crater will be used as a mosque, while a portable Starbucks van and a massive tented dining hall would be available as catering for the hungry football fans. The cabins, which opened on Friday and cost £185 a night for a double cabin for two, are unable to cool the air during the day and rumble at night to be usable. Those who wish to remain in the Rawdat Al Jahhaniya hotel, which will sleep up to 60,000 residents, can enjoy the spartan interiors with either two single beds or a double bed, toilet, mini-fridge, and coffee-making facilities.

Qatar is already in damage control as fans begin to upload footage of the hellish conditions that await in fan villages for the FIFA World Cup while accredited media have been threatened by officials trying to smash their camera equipment

Fans of the World Cup in Qatar have compared accommodation to the Fyre Festival, a prodigious music festival that was hosted on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma in 2017. Just days before the tournament's first game between the hosts and Ecuador, a video of one site housing supporters in Qatar has gone viral on social media. Qatar's host country has come under growing criticism over how it treats its large population of low-paid migrant workers and its stance on LGBTQ rights.

The father of Blended Festival has died after cancelling dates and racking up $6 million in unpaid debt before revealing that he had suffered a minor heart attack and 'will be dissolving and ceasing operations.' Sean Evans (left) is the CEO of My Wine Society, who has revealed that the popular Blended Festival will be held for a third year in a row (Nashville's concert last year, pictured right). However, Evans has reportedly "left hundreds of workers, consultants, talent, and customers waiting for payment." On September 10, 2011, the Blended Festival's first concert in Nashville went as expected, with artists such as Lil Jon and the Chainsmokers taking center stage. However, more concerts were planned in Austin, San Diego, and Tampa. The festival in Austin was set to take place on September 24 and 25, but San Diego's turn to host was scheduled on October 8 and 9. The Tampa dates were supposed to take place on November 19 and 20.