Rappers Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Marshmello and several other artists are accused of misusing government coronavirus relief funds to pay for lavish parties and line their own pockets.
The musicians are accused of applying for and abusing Shattered Venue Operating Grants. The grant was intended to help arts organizations weather the coronavirus shutdown during the pandemic and would be used to cover operating costs and employee salaries.
The SVO grants were signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2020 and are intended as “ordinary and necessary” expenses for arts organizations, studios, theaters, and other similar facilities to continue operating during the closure period. It provides up to $10 million to be spent. To qualify, applicants had to prove at least a 25% loss in revenue compared to the previous quarter due to the pandemic.
Other artists who have applied for funding include Alice in Chains, Shinedown, Rae Sremmurd and Steve Aoki, according to . business insider.
business insiderHowever, many celebrities have pointed out that they did not spend the money as instructed.
Rapper Lil Wayne reportedly received $8.9 million in relief money, including $1.3 million for a private jet, more than $460,000 for clothing, and $2.14 million to pay off debts to former manager Cortez Bryant. The money was used for personal expenses, including.
time business insideWhen a reporter tried to contact Lil Wayne for a future story, he responded in a vulgar, sexual manner:
Wayne reportedly later apologized for the rant. hot new hip hop.
Chris Brown reportedly received $10 million, but assumed $5.1 million in personal payments and spent $800,000 on a birthday party. And rapper Marshmello was given a $9.9 million relief check, all of which he pocketed.
As for the others, Mr. Aoki used $2.9 million to pay employee salaries, which is what the money was intended for, but he also paid himself $1.9 million. The three members of the band Shinedown each pocketed $2.5 million of the grant, but also paid $650,000 to their employees. In the end, most of the $7.7 million awarded to Rae Sremmurd went to artists rather than company expenses.
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