(PCM)Despite pouring his heart out for past mistakes on his latest album Born and Raised, singer-songwriter John Mayer seems to be in hot water again, but this time, it isn’t the guitarist’s lack of a filter that has gotten him into trouble.
According to TMZ, the crooner has been pulled into a lawsuit regarding a $100 million Ponzi scheme claiming Mayer may be in possession of nearly half a million dollars in dirty money. Seattle businessman Darren Berg is the perpetrator according to reports, and trustees are tracking down cash lost in the fraud from Mayer and several others named in the suit.
Mayer’s publicist has yet to comment on the news but his lawyer released a statement to TMZ saying, ”John Mayer performed at a corporate event in 2008 and was paid for his services. The opportunity was brought to John through his talent agency, CAA.”
Legal documents obtained by TMZ allege that Mayer received $465,000 worth of fraudulent money from booking agency Grabow & Associates, but a connection between Berg and the company has not yet been made clear.
Berg was sentenced to 18 years in prison back in February for his criminal activities, including defrauding hundreds of investors out of more than $100 million via his company, Meridian Mortgage investment funds.
Mayer is one of many celebrities that have found themselves duped into the other side of a Ponzi scheme. Bernie Madoff scammed a whole list of celebrities including director Steven Spielberg, Kevin Bacon, and Shrek producer Jeffrey Katzenburg to name a few.
Mayer’s booking agent, Bob Grabow, told E! that he had no idea about Berg’s involvement with the Ponzi scheme when he negotiated the deal for Mayer to perform at his private conference back in 2008.
“It was five years ago when Berg contacted me,” Grabow said. “We did a private event at Paul Allen’s place. And it was a very successful event for meeting planners in Seattle.”
Grabow also stated that it was impossible to know about any fraudulent activities and that the numbers on the lawsuit about how much Mayer received are incorrect.
The “Queen of California” singer has yet to comment on the allegations and is probably hiding underneath his cowboy hat to avoid the invevitable media frenzy.
No comments:
Post a Comment