Fyre festival promoter gets six years prison

The Associated Press

Billy McFarland, the promoter of the failed Fyre Festival in the Bahamas, leaves federal court after pleading guilty to wire fraud charges in New York on March 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

NEW YORK - The promoter of a botched, highly publicized music festival in the Bahamas has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Billy McFarland was sentenced on Thursday in Manhattan federal court.

McFarland has twice pleaded guilty to charges. First, he admitted earlier this year he defrauded investors in the 2017 Fyre Festival. Then, weeks later, he pleaded guilty to charges in a ticket selling scam.

Prosecutors had sought over 15 years in prison.

His lawyer had urged leniency, saying McFarland suffers from mental illness that includes delusional beliefs that his talents will lead to "fame and fortune."