Yahoo News Disastrous Fyre festival now reportedly under investigation by the FBI
Fyre Festival was originally marketed as a blissful event for those with enough cash to fly to the Bahamas.
Advertised by the Instagram's elite models, Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Emily Ratajkowski, and founded by rapper Ja Rule and 25-year-old entrepreneur Billy McFarland, the festival was positioned as a luxurious beachside getaway for beautiful people.
Its website boasted it would be a “cultural moment created from an alchemic blend of music, art and food” and tickets sold out quickly.
What followed in April - a storm that left the island in chaos, ticketholders stranded at airports, disaster relief, bands pulling out, packs of wild dogs roaming the site, and festival-going millennials begging for US Embassy help - was gleefully watched online across the world, who dubbed it "the Rich Kids of Instagram meets the Hunger Games."
And the dust hasn't yet settled.
On top of all this, the festival organisers are now reportedly under investigation by the FBI.
The New York Times reports that an investigation is underway by the United States attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI.
The newspaper also reports that it is being overseen by a prosecutor assigned to the complex frauds and cybercrime unit, but the bureau and the attorney's office declined to comment.
Ticket buyers, investors and contractors are said to be possible victims.
Ja Rule tweeted a statement after the event saying it was "NOT A SCAM" and added that it was "NOT MY FAULT".
McFarland told Rolling Stone that the failure of the festival, which was to be headlined by Blink-182 and Major Lazer - was down to him and Ja Rule being "a little naïve" organising it and adding, perhaps incredibly, that "next year, we will definitely start earlier." He promised free entry to people who bought tickets for the disastrous 2017 event.
The odds of Fyre 2018 taking place are lengthening now as the reports of the FBI's involvement in the venture, and as lawsuits mount.
Investors claim that McFarland's assertion he had been "given" $8.4 million worth of Bahamian land were false.
Manhattan investor Oleg Itkin, is alleging that he loaned McFarland and Fyre Media $700,000 on the basis of the written representation. He has launched legal claims against the festival and McFarland.
Ja Rule is also being sued for a $3 million loan from EHL Funding LLC, which he signed for personally.
Those hoping to monitor the goings-on at any future Fyre festival should settle in for a long wait.
