Billy McFarland, one of the organizers behind the disastrous Fyre Festival, was arrested by the FBI on Friday (June 30) on one count of wire fraud. The US Department of Justice announced his arrest in a statement released Friday night.
“As alleged, William McFarland promised a ‘life changing’ music festival but in actuality delivered a disaster,” said acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon Kim. “McFarland allegedly presented fake documents to induce investors to put over a million dollars into his company and the fiasco called the Fyre Festival.”
In April, Fyre Festival made news when photos of the conditions on an island in the Bahamas appeared on social media. The exclusive event was advertised as a high-end music festival, with tickets going for as much as $400,000. However, festival goers arrived to find cheese sandwiches and salads being served instead of the gourmet food they were promised, luxury tents had not been set up and the bands that were scheduled had canceled their performances.
McFarland could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.