Fyre Festival's Billy McFarland has reportedly been taken out of solitary confinement
Fyre Festival‘s co-founder Billy McFarland is reportedly out of solitary confinement in prison.
McFarland is currently serving a six-year sentence after pleading guilty to multiple counts of fraud, including for the disastrous festival in the Bahamas in 2017.
McFarland spent six months of this sentence alone in solitary confinement after taking part in the recording of a podcast.
Last year, McFarland launched Dumpster Fyre, a podcast which saw him “share everything that happened” regarding the notorious festival. According to The New York Times, last year, McFarland was given special protection in the Ohio prison as a direct consequence of the release of his podcast.
“We believe the investigation stems from his participation in the podcast and the photographs that were taken and utilised in the trailer, which were all properly taken,” McFarland’s lawyer Jason Russo told the NYT last year.
“We don’t believe he’s violated any rule or regulation, and there can’t possibly be anything else. He’s been a model prisoner there,” he added at the time.
Now, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons database, McFarland has been taken out of solitary confinement and release and transferred to Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City.
McFarland’s lawyer reportedly told Insider that he has “got his freedom back.”
Speaking about the time spent in solitary confinement, Russo claimed: “It was punitive. At first, they said he violated rules by speaking to the media — which there is no such rule. Then they accused him of doing three-way calls, which you’re not allowed to do – but these were not three-way calls.”
The prison also brought administrative charges to McFarland over photos of himself which were posted to an Instagram account claiming to be managed by “Billy’s team.” However, McFarland’s lawyer said he didn’t know who was behind the account.
He aded: “Every picture that was sent out was taken with a commissary camera and approved to be distributed” by the Bureau of Prisons.”
Russo also reportedly told Insider that all the administrative charges against McFarland were dropped apart from one which forbids inmates to share commissary funds. Russo claims this was why McFarland was placed into solitary confinement.
Earlier this week (April 16), organisers of the notorious festival reached a $2million settlement with 277 attendees, almost four years after a $100 million class action lawsuit was initially filed.
The new lawsuit will see each of the 277 attendees receiving $7,220 (£5247), although the figure could potentially be lower as Fyre Festival is still in the middle of a bankruptcy case with a selection of various creditors.
Lawyers representing ticket-holders for the Bahamian event have secured the settlement, but, as Billboard reports, it still needs a vote of approval to take place on May 13th.
