Fyre Festival organizer Billy McFarland gets an early prison release

(Image credit: Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

published 19 May 2022

Disgraced Fyre Festival organizer Billy McFarland has secured an early release from prison.

McFarland, who organized the ill-fated 2017 music festival and was convicted on fraud charges, has been released from prison over two years before the end of his sentence, NBC News reports.

In 2018, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, and making false statements to a federal agent. Prosecutors said he "did not deliver on his promises to his investors and customers" in promoting the disastrous music festival in the Bahamas and engaged in a "disturbing pattern of deception, which resulted in investors and customers losing over $26 million in two separate fraud schemes."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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