Fyre Festival organizer loses bail, eyeglasses over new fraud charges

The crooked promoter of the infamous Fyre Festival will have to stay behind bars for another month while awaiting sentencing over the failed event — after he was busted for another sketchy scheme, a judge ruled Monday.

Billy McFarland, who already pleaded guilty to duping investors into funding his bogus Bahamas festival, was rearrested last week for selling fake tickets to exclusive fashion, music and sporting events after he was collared for the initial crime.

He was placed on a 10-day detention but the government had requested his bail be revoked entirely — and Manhattan federal judge Naomi Reice Buchwald on Monday agreed the additional charges make him a flight risk.

“I do think that with the new charges combined with the forthcoming sentencing, there’s a serious risk of flight as well as a danger in a non-violent sense to the community,” said Buchwald, but didn’t elaborate on what that danger is.





She also pushed back McFarland’s sentencing from later this week to July 26 — although the extra weeks in the slammer will count as time served if he’s sentenced to prison, the judge said.

And in an extra blow, a US Marshal refused to let McFarland’s lawyer give him his eyeglasses, which he wasn’t wearing when he was arrested.

The 26-year-old — who came to court looking slightly disheveled in a short-sleeved brown shirt and khakis — got to put the specs on briefly but was forced to remove them in case they were being used to smuggle in something illicit.

“So the concern is what’s in his frames. We’ve all watched a lot of movies, right?” said Buchwald.

“Indeed judge,” said defense attorney Randall Jackson, who said he’d write a letter shortly requesting permission for the frames.





McFarland pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges and has agreed to forfeit over $26 million for the failed 2017 festival, where customers — who paid up to $12,000 per ticket — were promised luxury accommodation and huge entertainers but instead got leaky tents and cheese sandwiches.

But he now faces additional charges for allegedly trying to dupe those same customers into purchasing non-existent tickets to exclusive events like the Met Gala, Grammys, Burning Man and Coachella.





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