High-profile artists including Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, and Marshmello obtained and misused millions of dollars in government-issued COVID-19 relief money, according to a new report from Business Insider’s Jack Newsham and Katherine Long. The exposé details how the musicians allegedly exploited the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG)—a program signed into law in 2020 to support hard-hit independent venues and struggling artists—to pad out their already luxurious lifestyles with lavish parties, designer clothing, recreational travel, and more.
According to extensive accounting documents viewed by Business Insider, Lil Wayne received $8.9 million in grant funds from SVOG. He reportedly allocated over $1.3 million of that money to private-jet travel and over $460,000 to clothing from high-end brands such as Balenciaga, Marni, Raf Simons, and Gucci. Wayne also reportedly billed taxpayers upward of $175,000 for “expenses related to a music festival promoting his marijuana brand, GKUA, including clothing for artists associated with his record label,” as Business Insider put it.
Additional alleged misuse of the funds included almost $15,000 on flights and luxury hotel rooms for women with no apparent connection to Wayne’s touring operation. The rapper also billed taxpayers just under $88,000 for expenses related to a concert he never performed (scheduled to take place on New Year’s Eve 2021 in California).
Business Insider reports that Chris Brown’s company CBE Touring received a $10 million grant—of which Brown received $5.1 million personally. His lavish 33rd birthday party also reportedly cost taxpayers almost $80,000, which was spent on “atmosphere models,” an LED dance floor, bottle service, hookahs, and “nitrogen ice cream,” among other things.
Producer and DJ Marshmello reportedly received $9.9 million in grant money from SVOG—all of which he awarded to himself. Because he made more than that amount touring in 2019, he was able to claim the grant in its entirety. According to Business Insider, Marshmello paid himself more than any other musician who was granted SVOG money, as Wayne, Brown, and others, paid some of the funds toward their managers, crew, and additional staff.
Steve Aoki and members of Alice in Chains were also named in the report for allegedly misusing SVOG funds. The SVOG program was helmed by the Small Business Administration, which claimed, in a statement to Business Insider, that it was directed to examine revenue, not the assets of recipients. This allowed a gaping loophole for millionaire musicians to receive funds meant for struggling artists.
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