A Florida man was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for his involvement in a scheme to rob hospitality services by posing as a member of a well-known Wu-Tang rap group.
Aaron Barnes-Burpo, 29, of Crestview, Florida, was sentenced in Augusta by U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to David H. Estes, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Barnes-Burpo was also required to pay about $300,000 to 19 businesses who were defrauded in the scam. After completing his prison sentence, he must complete three years of supervised release. In the federal system, there is no such thing as parole.
Walker Washington, 52, of Augusta, pleaded guilty to the same crime and is awaiting sentencing.
“For several weeks, these men defrauded multiple businesses by posing as famous musical artists and their retinue,” Estes said in a news release. “Thanks to an alert hotel clerk, their phony hit parade came to an abrupt halt.”
Barnes-Burpo and Washington revealed in court records and evidence that they falsely represented themselves as being connected with the Roc Nation production company and the hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan as early as September 2019.
