Memphis Rapper Nuke Bizzle Scammed Govt Out Of $1.2 Million In COVID Relief Funds, Bragged About It In YouTube Video & Now Pleads Guilty To Fraud

Rapper Nuke Bizzle Scammed Govt Out Of $1.2 Million In COVID Relief Funds, Bragged About It In YouTube Video & Now Pleads Guilty To Fraud

Memphis rapper Nuke Bizzle will soon be bragging about his crimes from behind bars.

Nuke Bizzle (real name Fontrell Antonio Baines) will plead guilty to mail fraud and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon—after he bragged in a YouTube music video about scamming the government out of COVID-19 unemployment funds.

In the music video for the song “EDD,” Nuke Bizzle reportedly bragged about doing “my swagger for EDD” and, while holding up a stack of envelopes from EDD, says he would become wealthy by “go[ing] to the bank with a stack of these”—referring to the utilization of illegitimate debit cards that were mailed to him. He also shared posts to his Instagram account about his crimes.

According to his plea agreement,

“from July 2020 to September 2020, Baines unlawfully exploited the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) provisions of the CARES Act to obtain unemployment insurance money to which he was not entitled.”

It added,

“Baines abused the program to obtain unemployment benefits administered by the California Employment Development Department (EDD) in the names of third parties, including identity theft victims.”

Nuke Bizzle had access to addresses in Beverly Hills and Koreatown and was able to access and utilize the debit cards that EDD pre-loaded with unemployment payments obtained through the fictitious applications.

He acknowledged that 92 false PUA claims were submitted to the EDD, causing attempted losses to the EDD and the US Treasury of around $1,256,108 and actual losses of at least $704,760.

His guilty plea will subject him to a maximum term of 10 years in federal prison for possessing an illegal firearm and ammunition and 20 years in federal prison for mail fraud after filing his guilty pleas. He also consented to surrender $56,750 in funds that had already been confiscated by law enforcement.

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[VIA]