Fyre Festival Organizer Freed on $300K Bail, Uses Public Defender
Maserati-driving Billy McFarland declines to hire his own attorney
Ashley Eady | July 2, 2017 @ 2:40 PM
Last Updated: July 2, 2017 @ 3:04 PM
Billy McFarland, one of the organizers of the failed Fyre Festival, has been released from jail on a $300,000 bail after his Friday arrest on charges of wire fraud connected with the failed event.
The New York Times reported that McFarland appeared before a magistrate judge in Manhattan on Saturday with a public defender instead of hiring a private attorney.
Public defenders are usually “reserved for defendants with limited assets,” the Times noted.
However, as the founder and CEO of Fyre Media, McFarland has not insignificant assets. The Times said the 25-year-old executive lives in a swanky Manhattan penthouse apartment (priced at $21,000 a month) and drives a Maserati.
But McFarland’s public defender, Sabrina P. Shroff, told the Times that her client’s past lawyers “had not been paid enough to continue to represent him.”
McFarland has been in trouble since the April implosion of his inaugural Fyre Festival. Rich patrons spent tens of thousands of dollars for the event, expecting a luxury getaway on a private island in the Bahamas, only for their private jets to touch down in what many called a disaster area.
Instead of plush cabanas, they were set up in “disaster relief tents,” and their gourmet food took the form of cheese sandwiches and wilting lettuce.
The failed event caused a PR meltdown, several lawsuits, and an FBI investigation.
McFarland’s next court appearance is set for July 31.
Chaos at Fyre: Dude, Where's My Luxury Suite? (Photos)
"In case you're wondering," one reveler wrote, "those 'cabanas' are actually disaster relief tents."
@MattHalfhill
Let them eat cheese sandwiches. One attendee posted this pic of the dinner served at the luxury festival which included bread, cheese and salad with dressing.
@Tr3vor
This Fyre attendee tagged the Washington Post and the Weather Channel with the caption: "disaster at Exumas Georgetown international airport."
@uhhric
This guy tried to use his VIP status to get off the island: "Hey @delta and @AmericanAir, not you United, can you come to the Exuma airport and save us? I have an Artist Pass."
@WNFIV
Someone snapped a shot of one of the notebooks from a festival organizer with a list of all the essentials, including 50 cases of pineapple juice, 6,000 Altoids and 3,000 Milky Ways. A comment left on the Instagram post perhaps summed it up best: "This kinda looks like when I planned my 13th bday party."
@wnfiv
After two hours on the runway waiting to take off, this reveler got his "Chex Mix ration."
@wnfiv
This guy seems to have made the best of the situation. "Pigs make great wingmen!!!" he wrote. "Personally, I had a fucking blast at #fyrefestival The press blew it way out of proportion."
@tmnsky
Expectations vs. Reality
@fyrefestivalfail
Expectations vs. Reality Part Deux
@BigKidProblems
No need for a carousel. "This is how Fyre Fest handles luggage. Just drop it out of a shipping container. At night. With no lights," one partygoer quipped.
@WNFIV
The posh event came complete with this "view of the luxury food court" and "luxury school bus transportation," according to this angry attendee.
@WNFIV
We've seen worse... then again, we never paid thousands of dollars for accommodations.
Reddit
This just makes us sad.
@WNFIV
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13 horrifying scenes from the ritzy festival that will scar you for life
"In case you're wondering," one reveler wrote, "those 'cabanas' are actually disaster relief tents."