Fyre Festival merchandise sold at auction by US government to profit Billy McFarland’s victims
Merch includes Fyre-branded clothing, wristbands, and other souvenirs
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Merchandise from the ill-fated Fyre Festival has gone up for auction in a sale organised by the US government.
Fyre-branded clothing, wristbands, and other souvenirs are currently up for sale to benefit the victims of festival organiser Billy McFarland, according to a release by the US Marshals.
McFarland pleaded guilty in March 2018 to defrauding investors and a ticket vendor of more than $26m. He was sentenced in October of that year to six years in prison.
The auction is taking place online through the auction vendor Gaston & Sheehan.
There are 126 lots of “minor assets” such as hats, sweatshirts, T-shirts, tokens, and jogger sweatpants. The sale will end on 13 August.
“This Fyre Festival-branded clothing and other items that were seized from Billy McFarland were originally intended to be sold at the Fyre Festival itself but were kept by McFarland, with the intent to sell the items and use the funds to commit further criminal acts while he was on pre-trial release,” US Marshal Ralph Sozio of the Southern District of New York said in a release.
“The proceeds from the sale of these items, all traceable to McFarland’s $26m fraud, will go towards the victims of his crimes.”
McFarland was featured in the 2019 Hulu documentary Fyre Fraud about the festival and the ensuing debacle.
According to the Bureau of Prisons' databse, he is currently held at a low-security facility in Ohio, with a planned release in 2023.