Bloomberg Law
Two men have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud related to a $1.35 million fake concert scheme, according to the Justice Department Friday.
Terronce Morris and Blake Kelly persuaded a recording artist into giving them money to support a production of a music festival, said the DOJ. However, no music festival was ever produced and the duo used the money to purchase luxury goods and services.
Morris and Kelly also forged the signature of other recording artists on fraudulent contracts as a part of the scheme. The pair have also pleaded guilty to aggravated identity …
Fake concert promoter and former rapper plead guilty to $1.35 million fraud scheme involving bogus music concerts
MIAMI – Two men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft for their involvement in a bogus music concert fraud scheme.
Terronce Morris, 41, of Missouri City, Texas, pleaded guilty on Feb. 13 to conspiring with Blake Kelly, 36, of Los Angeles, California, in a fraud scheme involving bogus music concerts with famous artists, including J.B., B.E., and P.M. Kelly had previously pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy, on Jan. 9. Morris and Kelly also pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft for forging the signature and using the identity of music artist J.B. on false and fraudulent concert contracts.
According to the factual proffer and other court documents, between December 2019 and March 2020, Morris and Kelly fraudulently obtained approximately $1,350,000 from victim J.R. Morris and Kelly persuaded the victim to give them the money for the purportedly production of a music festival, featuring J.B., P.M., B.E., and other music recording artists. Morris and Kelly created several false and fraudulent concert performance contracts forging the signatures of the music recording artists. Morris also created false and fraudulent email accounts that he used to pose as if the music recording artists themselves had sent the signed contracts to Kelly and himself. Additionally, during a video call with the victim, Morris and Kelly had an accomplice pose as J.B. to trick the victim into believing that J.B. had agreed to perform at the concert series.
Relying on Morris’s and Kelly’s false and fraudulent statements, the victim sent three wire transfers to Morris. The victim also mailed Morris a $200,000 check made payable to J.B., that Morris then deposited into his own personal account. Morris and Kelly used the fraudulently obtained money to enrich themselves and finance a lavish lifestyle for themselves and their accomplices, which included traveling, purchasing luxury goods, paying for luxurious services, and dining at high-priced restaurants.
Morris’s sentencing is scheduled for May 2, at 1:30 p.m. Kelly’s sentencing is scheduled for March 28, 1:00 p.m. Morris and Kelly face up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, as well an additional two years in prison for the identity theft charge.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement.
FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roger Cruz and Joan Silverstein are prosecuting it.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-60118.
