50 Cent Files $6 Million Embezzlement Lawsuit Against Liquor Distributor For Allegedly Overcharging Him For Product: ‘I’m Not The One’
50 Cent Files $6 Million Embezzlement Lawsuit Against Liquor Distributor For Allegedly Overcharging Him For Product: ‘I’m Not The One’
Media mogul 50 Cent is taking legal action against his liquor brand’s distributor.
The Power producer alleges that Beam Suntory has been hiking up the price of his products for years, pocketing the excess for themselves.
50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson, 48, wrote in the complaint that executives at Beam Suntory have allegedly been overcharging him for costs related to his liquor brand Sire Spirits. Reportedly, the legal document was first filed in New York in February of 2023 and accused the liquor distributor of being complicit in the alleged embezzlement scheme. Explaining how the mishap went unnoticed, 50‘s attorney reportedly stated:
“Because these illicit commissions were baked into the price of the product, Sire Spirits overpaid on taxes, overpaid on customs and duties, overpaid on insurance, which are marked towards the value of the product,”
In total, 50‘s team claimed Beam Suntory collected about $6 million from Sire Spirits as a result of the scam. After a report about the case made news yesterday (Tuesday, March 12th), the rap star took to Instagram to share his thoughts about the situation. Reposting the news story and vowing to make the company pay for the theft, 50 wrote in one post:
“@beamsuntory is gonna pay for what they did trust me. These big companies think they can get away with anything. It has cost me millions in legal fees. They are gonna find out I’m not the one you want to play with.
In another, 50 shared a letter that Beam Suntory allegedly sent without his knowledge to their business affiliates, or “co-conspirators” as 50 called them, informing them of changes happening with Sire Spirits. As a caption to this post, he wrote:
“This is the letter @beamsuntory sent without my knowledge to the people involved in the scheme that cost me millions. Do I really need to hold a press conference to walk everyone through exactly what happened with convicted felon Mitchel E. Green, Julious Grant, Arnaud Fabre and the guy Beam paid millions of dollars to help sell my brands, “Lord Michael” Caruso. This will make a great unscripted project.”
As reported in 2022, Sire Spirits employee Mitchell Green has already pleaded guilty to wire fraud for his participation in the scheme. The former brand manager admitted to up-pricing several of 50‘s liquors and pocketing $2.2 million of the excess funds. He was ultimately fired and ordered to pay back what he stole.
For Beam Suntory’s involvement, 50‘s suit alleged their Chief Commercial Officer, Julious Grant, was the one who facilitated the robbery. The liquor company has since “vehemently denied” the allegations, arguing that they “had no involvement in or knowledge of the fraudulent activity alleged in the complaint.” The case is set to be heard in court early next year.
Do you think 50 Cent will come out victorious? Tell us your predictions in the comments below!
[VIA]