Tag Archives: Covid-19 Relief Fund

Baby Blue of Pretty Ricky Arraigned in COVID-19 Relief Federal Fraud Case

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As The Source previously reported, Diamond “Baby Blue” Smith was involved in a $24 million COVID-19 relief scheme, which led to his arrest on charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. Now, Smith has made his very first court appearance and entered a not guilty plea.

The 36-year-old Smith was hit with a new charge by federal prosecutors on January 6th, conspiracy to commit fraud charge, which they anticipate will assist them in seizing his 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia along with other expensive ill-gotten gains.

The new evidence the feds have against Smith stems from a document that accuses Smith of submitting false PPP loan applications for two businesses and added that Smith allegedly submitted a $96,000 payment to get the black Ferrari, listing it as a company vehicle for his Blue Star Records imprint.

Smith faces up to five years in prison if convicted on the federal conspiracy charge.

 

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Pretty Ricky’s Baby Blue Involved in $24M COVID-19 Relief Scheme

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According to several confirmed reports, Baby Blue of the millennial R&B group Pretty Ricky has been charged for participating in a Covid-19 relief scheme.

36-year-old Diamond Blue Smith and 28-year-old Tonye C. Johnson were arrested for their roles in the alleged $24 million relief scheme, with both facing charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.

The report states that Baby Blue bought a Ferrari with the ill-gotten gains from a Paycheck Protection Program loan worth almost $427K.

The FBI says that Smith was a part of a larger operation with over 10 people who would file for the same loan for others, then receive kickbacks of their payments.

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NFL Player Josh Bellamy Charged for Involvement in $24M PPP Loan Scam

NFL Player Josh Bellamy Charged for Involvement in 24M PPP Loan Scam

Josh Bellamy was charged for obtaining about $1.2 million in COVID-19 relief loans.

The U.S. Department of Justice arrested and charged him Thursday morning alleging that he used funding for the coronavirus for his personal benefit. Bellamy is being charged for wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud.

The government claims the former New York Jets wide receiver applied for about $24 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under his company, Drip Entertainment LLC.

Bellamy is being accused of conspiring with Phillip J. Augustin, to pull off the grand scheme that saw him use federal funding for trips to the casino and “purchased over $104,000 in luxury goods using proceeds expensive items,” such as Gucci and Dior. 

“The complaint alleges that Bellamy conspired with 10 others to obtain millions of dollars in fraudulent PPP loans. Early in the scheme, Phillip J. Augustin allegedly obtained a fraudulent PPP loan for his talent management company using falsified documents,” the U.S. Department of Justice contends.

“After submitting that application, Augustin then began to work with other co-conspirators, including Bellamy, on a scheme to submit numerous fraudulent PPP loan applications for confederate loan applicants, in order to receive kickbacks for obtaining the forgivable loans for them.”

This is another hit for Josh Bellamy who was let go by the New
York Jets and missed most of the 2020 season due to a shoulder injury.

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John Legend to Highlight COVID-19 Relief Fund in Live Stream Performance

John Legend, Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Fallon to Deliver 2020 Commencement Speeches on iHeart Radio Podcast Special

With a new album on the way, John Legend will join Amazon Music for the Friday live performance series, which brings a stripped-down set and intimate conversation.

Legend will perform “Bigger Love,” “Conversations in the Dark,” and more from his forthcoming album. To interact with fans, John Legend will answer questions from fans using a chat feature.

John Legend, Amazon Music, and Amazon Live will collaborate to bring awareness to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, and the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.

The stream will begin at 10 am P.T. on Friday and can be watched at Amazon.com/live.

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