Two men have pleaded guilty to defrauding concert promoters of more than $1 million by posing as Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish and Post Malone to sign performance contracts, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release Friday. Announced.
Terrence Morris and Blake Kelly have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, federal authorities announced. according to to the Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors say the pair forged contracts with fake signatures from Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish and Post Malone and falsely claimed to have arranged their performances at music festivals.
A fake concert promoter and former rapper has pleaded guilty to a $1.35 million fraud scheme involving fake music concerts.@FBIMiamiFL The incident was investigated.
🔗:https://t.co/coKAeB5gWO pic.twitter.com/ER5NgB9lad
— U.S. Attorney SDFL (@USAO_SDFL) February 16, 2024
The Justice Department said that to further deceive the promoters, Morris and Kelly arranged a video call with an accomplice impersonating Bieber. Federal officials say they persuaded a concert promoter to send them $1.35 million in production costs. The men reportedly spent the money on lavish lifestyles including travel, luxury goods, and expensive meals. (Related article: Two former NBA stars found guilty in massive multi-million dollar fraud scheme)
The victim wired Morris and sent him a check for $200,000 made payable to JB, which Morris deposited for his personal use. According to the Department of Justice, the two were lavish, funding lavish lifestyles and extravagant spending. Morris is awaiting sentencing on May 2nd and Kelly on March 28th. They face up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy and an additional two years for identity theft.
Bieber commented on the matter through his attorney Michael Rose. “Mr. Bieber was saddened to learn of the circumstances alleged in the indictment that led to his guilty plea and cooperated fully with federal law enforcement throughout the investigation,” said the singer's attorney Rose. Said NBC News.
