A man has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of defrauding concert promoters by impersonating well-known artists like Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, and Post Malone in the United States.
According to information released by the U.S. Department of Justice, 42-year-old Terronce Morris, who resides in Missouri City, Texas, received a sentence of 57 months behind bars. He was convicted for a fraudulent scheme he orchestrated with an accomplice that involved fake concerts featuring famous artists, including those mentioned above.
Morris and his accomplice, 37-year-old Blake Kelly, who lives in Los Angeles, California, both pleaded guilty to the charges against them. Morris admitted to committing “mail and wire fraud, as well as aggravated identity theft,” while Kelly acknowledged his role in the same charges, specifically for “forging and using the signature of J.B.” (Justin Bieber) on false and fraudulent concert contracts.
According to NBC News, the pair created fake contracts with forged signatures from artists such as Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, and Post Malone, falsely securing their participation in music festivals.
So, how much money did they steal? Morris and Kelly convinced one victim to provide them with funds for the supposed production of a music festival featuring these artists. Between December 2019 and March 2020, they fraudulently acquired approximately $1.3 million. From May 2021 to December 2023, Morris stole an additional $850,000 from two more victims.
Morris even set up fake email accounts to impersonate the artists themselves. During a video call with one victim, Morris and Kelly had an accomplice pose as Bieber to further deceive the victim.
None of the artists whose names were misused in this scheme have commented on the situation.
Source: https://lavibra.com/2024/07/23/un-hombre-se-hizo-pasar-por-justin-bieber-billie-eilish-y-post-malone-para-defraudar/
