Almost a year on from the utter disaster that was Fyre Festival, Billy McFarland is now going to jail for 6 years.
Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald described McFarland, 26, as "a serial fraudster and to date his fraud, like a circle, has no end." Judge Buchwald also said that McFarland has "been dishonest most of his life." The festival, which sold tickets for anywhere between $1,000 and $100 thousand, was an unmitigated hellscape from start to finish - but began with huge fanfare.
The festival was advertised across Instagram and social media, with models such as Elsa Hosk, Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid, Lais Ribeiro, and Hailey Baldwin helping to promote it whilst Ja Rule was credited as co-creator and touted it as "the new Coachella." Taking place in Great Exuma in the Bahamas, musical acts such as Blink-182, Migos and Major Lazer were expected to play whilst catering was supposed to be handled by renowned restauranteur Stephen Starr.
Of course, absolutely none of this materialised whatsoever and the event became the living personification of Instagram versus reality. McFarland pleaded guilty to fraud earlier this year and his sentencing today brings to an end a saga that surprising hasn't been turned into a documentary or a fast-paced caper comedy directed by Martin Scorsese.
