XO Music Fest Organizer Facing Real Estate Fraud Charges With Brother
ANTIOCH (KPIX 5) – The organizer of the upcoming XO Music Festival in Antioch scheduled for this weekend was arrested in February for real estate fraud in Fremont, KPIX 5 has confirmed.
"It is the same guy," said Fremont Police Department spokesperson Geneva Bosques, referring to Habidulla Qadir, also known as Sami Habib.
According to a rental agreement provided to KPIX 5 by the Joe Brengle of the Contra Costa Event Park, the organizer of the XO Music Festival is Sami Habib of World Class Entertainment.
• UPDATE: XO Music Fest In Antioch Canceled Amid Questions About Promoter
The festival has faced intense scrutiny among some of the 100+ acts scheduled to appear, with some canceling their performances and others questioning the preparations surrounding the three-day event.
Habidullah (Sami) and his brother Mohammad Qadir were named by Fremont Police in a public warning back in February as having been arrested for involvement with a fraudulent home rental scheme.
According to the alert dated February 12, 2018, the brothers used false or counterfeited documentation to rent at least five homes in Fremont.
"Once the properties were rented to them, they failed to pay rent and forced the landlords to evict them while they remained in the properties rent-free, for months at a time," the notice said.
"They are out on bail, and there were no specific restrictions that would have restricted them from hosting a music festival in Antioch," said Teresa Drenick, spokesperson for the Alameda County District Attorney's office.
The XO festival is scheduled to take place at the Contra Costa Event Park from Friday through Sunday, even as other musicians expressed reservations about its viability.
A tour of the venue in Antioch on Monday night showed no indication of an upcoming music festival in the works. "We're here and there's no trailers or staff. There's still garbage over here … nothing is set up," musician Mario "Mars" Delgado told KPIX 5.
The pretrial hearing for the brothers is scheduled for August 22.