Pitchfork reports that Billy McFarland—who, alongside rapper Ja Rule, was one of the architects of the Caribbean clusterfuck known as Fyre Festival—has been arrested by the FBI on charges of wire fraud. A U.S. attorney issued a statement today, saying that “McFarland allegedly presented fake documents to induce investors to put over a million dollars into his company and the fiasco called the Fyre Festival. Thanks to the investigative efforts of the FBI, McFarland will now have to answer for his crimes.”
The FBI began investigating McFarland—who also founded complaint-prone luxury amenities service Magnises—shortly after Fyre Fest became an international laughingstock, stranding hundreds of would-be party-goers on a small island with only their pre-loaded cash bracelets to keep them company. Fyre Media has been the recipient of a number of lawsuits since the debacle, and is now facing the wrath of the federal government itself: If a jury finds him guilty, McFarland could face up to 20 years in jail.