Scammers gonna scam.
Federal prosecutors said on Tuesday that from the end of 2017 up until this past March, McFarland headed a company whose purpose was to sell fake tickets to fancy, big-name events such as Burning Man, Coachella, and the Met Gala. Authorities gave the example of a couple of customers who say they flew from Florida to New York to attend the Grammy Awards, only to find out their tickets were fraudulent.
In sum, prosecutors say McFarland scammed around 15 people out of a cool $100,000. They have charged him with a third count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
McFarland pled guilty to wire fraud in March, after initially pleading not guilty in October. The New York Times reported that McFarland lost some $26 million on the disastrous music festival sham, and is due to be sentenced next week. McFarland reportedly is facing up to 40 years in prison—also, a whole bunch of civil suits.
He also faces the humiliating prospect of a documentary series about his failures. Which, in terms of scams completed and rich people’s weekends ruined, might also be seen as wild success.
