DA: Men Posing As Reps For Pop Stars Indicted For Fraud
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Two men were indicted Thursday for allegedly scamming more than $2 million from event promoters who thought they were booking big-name acts like Rihanna and Lady Gaga.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on Thursday announced the indictments of Sylvester Vincent Carroll, 47, of Whitehouse Station, N.J., and Meceo McEaddy, 38, of Queens.
According to prosecutors, the defendants pocketed about $1 million after promising Brazilian promoters that they'd book a series of Rihanna concerts in Rio de Janeiro.
DA: Men Posing As Reps For Pop Stars Indicted For Fraud
They also claimed to have connections to Lady Gaga's management team and collected $500,000 on the promise that she'd perform at a private party in Cancun.
As 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported, the only front-row seats were reserved for Carroll and McEaddy, who also goes by the name Ray Annis, when they appeared before a judge on Thursday.
LINK: Read The Indictment (pdf)
Both defendants are charged with grand larceny and scheme to defraud. McEaddy also faces criminal tax fraud charges.
"These defendants are charged with selling concert promoters around the world a false bill of goods," said Vance in a statement. "Rihanna's 'Please Don't Stop the Music' could be an anthem for the legions of disappointed fans who heard about her concert in Brazil, only to learn that it had to be canceled before tickets even went on sale. The defendants capitalized on the popularity of three of the most famous pop stars in the world to steal more than $2 million from event promoters. My office will continue to root out and prosecute those who abuse their victims' trust for their own profit."
McEaddy is also accused of taking $45,000 in deposits after allegedly promising to book Lady Gaga for a concert on Long Island and a Ke$ha concert in Taiwan.
Prosecutors said the frauds began in 2010.
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