FBI On Fyre?

The now notorious Fyre Festival was already facing potential millions of dollars in lawsuits from disgruntled attendees, financiers, and others, but now the FBI may be involved in a criminal investigation of the affair.

Jake Strang via AP – ‘Fyre’ Bomb
Tents and a portable toilet set up for attendees for the Fyre Festival in the Exuma islands, Bahamas.

The fallout from the failed festival is ongoing, as The New York Times is reporting that companies responsible for setup and staging, and contractors who provided food and carpentry for the event are all waiting on promised payment.

Even big name artists like Blink-182, who pulled out of the festival before its very public failure, reportedly still have equipment stuck in customs.

Unreal-Systems, which was contracted to do staging and sound for the festival, still has $10 million in gear being held in Bahamian government custody because Fyre still owes $330,000 in fees, the Times reported. Unreal owner Luca Sabatini told the paper that his business was staring down dire consequences if it didn’t get its gear back soon.

The compounding reports of damage from the festival have reached the point where the feds found it appropriate to open a criminal investigation related to possible mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud, the Times reported. The implication is that organizers, most notably entrepreneur Billy McFarland, may face jail time for the debacle.

Pollstar’s calls to Fyre reps were unanswered at press time.