Billy McFarland

William McFarland
Born:	December 11, 1991 New York City, New York
Charges:	Wire fraud, Bank fraud, Making false statements to federal agents
Sentence:	6 years
Facility:	FCI Elkton
Status:	Released, Supervised Release

William Zervakos McFarland (born December 11, 1991), known as Billy McFarland, is an American convicted fraudster and entrepreneur who orchestrated the infamous Fyre Festival disaster and defrauded investors of more than $26 million. McFarland pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges related to the 2017 Fyre Festival, a purported luxury music festival in the Bahamas that left thousands of attendees stranded without adequate food, shelter, or entertainment, and to additional fraud charges stemming from a ticket-selling scam he operated while awaiting trial. U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald called McFarland "a serial fraudster" when sentencing him to six years in federal prison in October 2018.

McFarland was released from prison in March 2022 and subsequently announced plans for Fyre Festival II, despite still owing approximately $26 million in restitution from his original conviction. The event collapsed in 2025 after multiple venue failures, leading McFarland to sell the Fyre brand and rebrand his venture as PHNX Festival.

Summary

Billy McFarland became one of the most notorious fraudsters of his generation after the spectacular collapse of Fyre Festival exposed him as a con artist who had deceived investors, vendors, and ticket-buyers through systematic misrepresentations. The festival, promoted through social media influencers and promising a luxury experience on a private island in the Bahamas, instead delivered chaos: attendees arrived to find disaster relief tents, cheese sandwiches, and no musical acts. The debacle was documented in competing documentaries by Netflix and Hulu that made McFarland's name synonymous with millennial-era fraud and the dangers of influencer marketing.

What made McFarland's case particularly egregious was his inability to stop defrauding people even after his arrest. While released on bail awaiting trial for the Fyre Festival fraud, McFarland launched a new scam selling fake tickets to exclusive events like the Met Gala and Coachella through a company called NYC VIP Access. This "crime while on bail" demonstrated a compulsive pattern of fraud that led prosecutors and the judge to seek and impose a substantial prison sentence despite McFarland's youth and lack of prior criminal record.

Since his 2022 release, McFarland has continued to generate controversy through repeated attempts to stage follow-up festivals. His efforts to launch Fyre Festival II in Mexico in 2025 collapsed amid permit denials and venue rejections, leading him to sell the brand and pivot to a new venture called PHNX Festival in Honduras—all while still owing millions in restitution to his original victims.

Background

Early Life and Education

William McFarland was born on December 11, 1991, in New York City and raised in the affluent Short Hills section of Millburn, New Jersey. His parents are real estate developers. McFarland showed entrepreneurial ambition from an early age, founding an online outsourcing startup at age 13 that matched clients with web designers. He attended the Pingry School, an elite private school in New Jersey, graduating in 2010.

McFarland enrolled at Bucknell University to study computer engineering but dropped out in May of his freshman year to pursue business ventures. His departure from college marked the beginning of a pattern of ambitious projects that would ultimately cross the line into fraud.

Pre-Fyre Business Ventures

In 2013, McFarland founded Magnises, a members-only credit card marketed to young urban professionals. The company charged an annual membership fee and promised exclusive access to events, restaurants, and experiences. Magnises attracted approximately $1.5 million in investor funding and garnered media attention as an innovative startup targeting millennials. However, the company faced complaints about unfulfilled promises and poor customer service, foreshadowing the problems that would plague Fyre Festival.

McFarland subsequently founded Fyre Media, a technology company that developed an app for booking musical talent. The app was intended to streamline the process of hiring musicians for private events. To promote the Fyre app, McFarland conceived an audacious marketing event: a luxury music festival in the Bahamas that would showcase the app's capabilities while generating massive social media buzz.

Indictment, Prosecution, and Sentencing

The Fyre Festival Fraud

Fyre Festival was promoted as an ultra-exclusive luxury music festival to be held on a private island in the Bahamas in April 2017. Marketing materials, including a viral promotional video featuring supermodels like Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and Emily Ratajkowski, promised gourmet food, luxury accommodations in beachfront villas, performances by major musical acts, and an experience "on the boundaries of the impossible." Ticket packages ranged from $1,200 to over $100,000 for VIP experiences.

The reality was catastrophic. Attendees who paid thousands of dollars arrived on Great Exuma island to find a construction site with disaster relief tents, mattresses soaked by rain, inadequate food (infamously including cheese sandwiches in styrofoam containers), no running water, and no musical performers. The event was cancelled after one chaotic night, leaving thousands of people stranded and scrambling to leave the island. The disaster became a viral sensation, spawning memes and intense media coverage.

Federal prosecutors established that McFarland had knowingly deceived investors about the festival's finances and preparedness. He used fake documents to induce investments, including a fabricated revenue statement showing $4.5 million in artist booking revenue when the actual figure was approximately $57,000. Investors provided more than $26 million based on these misrepresentations. McFarland also deceived vendors, contractors, and ticket purchasers about the festival's viability.

Additional Fraud While on Bail

McFarland was arrested on June 30, 2017, and charged with wire fraud. He was released on $300,000 bail. However, while awaiting trial, McFarland launched yet another fraudulent scheme. Through a company called NYC VIP Access, he began selling tickets to exclusive events including the Met Gala, Coachella, Burning Man, and the Grammy Awards—events for which he had no tickets to sell. This scheme defrauded additional victims of over $100,000.

McFarland was rearrested and charged with additional counts of wire fraud, bank fraud (for writing a check using an employee's name and account without authorization), and making false statements to a federal law enforcement agent. The additional charges significantly increased his potential sentence and demonstrated to the court that his fraudulent conduct was not an isolated lapse but a pattern of behavior.

Guilty Plea and Sentencing

In March 2018, McFarland pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud related to the Fyre Festival investor fraud. He agreed to forfeit $26 million. In July 2018, he pleaded guilty to the additional charges related to NYC VIP Access, the bank fraud, and making false statements to federal agents.

On October 11, 2018, U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald sentenced McFarland to six years in federal prison. The judge characterized him as "a serial fraudster" and rejected defense arguments that his youth and entrepreneurial intentions warranted leniency. McFarland was also ordered to forfeit $26 million and pay restitution to victims. At sentencing, McFarland apologized and claimed he had been motivated by a desire to succeed rather than to harm anyone.

Prison Experience

McFarland was designated to serve his sentence at FCI Elkton, a low-security federal correctional institution in Ohio. During his incarceration, he reportedly spent time in solitary confinement as a protective measure and experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to outbreaks at many federal facilities. McFarland gave occasional interviews from prison and was the subject of continuing media interest due to the notoriety of the Fyre Festival.

McFarland was released from federal custody on March 29, 2022, after serving approximately four years of his six-year sentence. He was transferred to community confinement and placed under supervised release for three years, with requirements including regular check-ins with a probation officer and maintaining lawful employment of at least 30 hours per week.

Post-Release Career

Fyre Festival II Announcement

Despite still owing approximately $26 million in restitution from his conviction, McFarland announced plans to produce Fyre Festival II shortly after his release. In 2023 and 2024, he promoted the event through social media and media appearances. In February 2025, McFarland revealed that the festival would take place May 30 through June 2, 2025, on Isla Mujeres, off the coast of Cancún, Mexico, with 2,000 tickets priced from $1,400 to $1.1 million for ultra-VIP packages. Retired NFL player Antonio Brown was announced as the first performer.

Collapse of Fyre Festival II

The Fyre Festival II plans quickly unraveled. The Isla Mujeres municipal government issued a statement in February 2025 that no festival permits had been requested or approved. A New York Times investigation found that the GPS coordinates McFarland provided for the venue pointed to a location in the open ocean off the coast of Cancún, not on any island.

McFarland then announced the festival would be held in Playa del Carmen instead. In early April 2025, Playa del Carmen City Hall posted publicly that "there will be no event called 'Fyre 2' in Playa del Carmen." Days later, organizers announced Fyre Festival II was postponed indefinitely and promised ticket refunds.

McFarland attributed the failure to court restrictions that prevented him from leaving the United States to oversee preparations, combined with local governments withdrawing support after critical media coverage.

Sale of the Fyre Brand

In late April 2025, McFarland announced he was putting the Fyre Festival brand up for sale. "The brand has grown bigger than any one person and bigger than what I'm able to lead on my own," he stated, adding that it needed a team with "scale, experience and infrastructure" to reach its full potential. The assets were listed on eBay in July 2025, ultimately selling for $245,300 to NFT marketplace LimeWire.

PHNX Festival 2025

Undeterred by the Fyre Festival II collapse, McFarland launched a new festival venture under the name PHNX Festival. The event took place on December 6, 2025, in Utila Bay, an island approximately 30 kilometers off the coast of Honduras. The choice of Honduras allowed McFarland to work around court restrictions that prevented him from leaving the United States.

Unlike the Fyre Festival disaster, PHNX actually occurred—artists including French Montana, Bobby Shmurda, and Slim Jxmmi performed, and attendees were not stranded or defrauded. However, the event was far from a resounding success. Attendance was sparse, with estimates ranging from "tens" to "a few hundred people" on site—a far cry from the thousands McFarland had hoped to attract with ticket prices ranging from $599 to $140,000 for VIP packages.

The festival was plagued by technical issues including two power outages and a stage crasher. A $7 livestream attracted only about 100 viewers at its peak. Critics on social media compared the poorly attended event to "a backyard barbecue" and questioned whether McFarland's "redemption" narrative was warranted given his outstanding $20 million in restitution to Fyre Festival victims. While PHNX represented a marginal improvement over McFarland's previous festival attempts in that it actually happened, the dismal turnout and production problems suggested his reputation may be permanently damaged.

Public Appearances and Media

Following his release, McFarland has made numerous media appearances discussing his crimes, imprisonment, and plans for the future. He has expressed remorse for the harm caused by Fyre Festival while simultaneously promoting his comeback plans. Critics have accused him of using his notoriety to generate attention without meaningfully addressing his victims or his outstanding restitution obligations.

Public Statements and Positions

At sentencing, McFarland apologized to his victims and the court, stating that he took "full responsibility" for his actions. He attributed his conduct to an obsessive drive to succeed rather than malicious intent, claiming he had believed he could make Fyre Festival work despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Following his release, McFarland has given interviews expressing remorse while also defending aspects of his original vision. "I am incredibly sorry for letting so many people down," he stated in 2022. His announcement and subsequent failure of Fyre Festival II, followed by the pivot to PHNX Festival, has led many observers to question the sincerity of his contrition.

McFarland has acknowledged that he owes approximately $26 million in restitution but has suggested that producing successful events in the future could help him satisfy those obligations—a claim that has been met with skepticism given his track record.

Terminology

• Wire Fraud: A federal crime involving the use of electronic communications to execute a scheme to defraud.

• Restitution: Court-ordered payment from the offender to victims to compensate for financial losses caused by the crime.

• Supervised Release: A period of supervision following release from federal prison, during which the offender must comply with specified conditions.

• Community Confinement: A form of custody in which an offender resides in a halfway house or similar facility rather than a prison.

See also

• Wire Fraud
• Bank Fraud
• Supervised Release
• FCI Elkton

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long was Billy McFarland in prison?

Billy McFarland was sentenced to six years in federal prison in October 2018. He served approximately four years before being released on March 29, 2022, and placed under supervised release for three years.

Q: What did Billy McFarland do?

McFarland orchestrated the infamous Fyre Festival disaster and defrauded investors of more than $26 million. The 2017 festival was promoted as a luxury music event in the Bahamas but delivered chaos: disaster relief tents, cheese sandwiches, and no musical acts. While on bail, he launched another fraud selling fake tickets through NYC VIP Access.

Q: What happened at Fyre Festival?

Fyre Festival was marketed as a luxury festival with gourmet food, beachfront villas, and major musical acts, with tickets from $1,200 to over $100,000. Attendees arrived to find disaster relief tents, soaked mattresses, inadequate food, no running water, and no performers. It was cancelled after one chaotic night.

Q: What happened to Fyre Festival II?

Fyre Festival II was announced for May 2025 in Mexico but collapsed when venues denied permits and GPS coordinates pointed to open ocean. McFarland sold the Fyre brand on eBay for $245,300 to LimeWire in July 2025 and rebranded as PHNX Festival, scheduled for December 2025 in Honduras with French Montana headlining.

Q: Where was Billy McFarland incarcerated?

McFarland served his sentence at FCI Elkton, a low-security federal prison in Ohio, where he reportedly spent time in solitary confinement and experienced the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q: Did Billy McFarland commit fraud while on bail?

Yes, while on $300,000 bail, McFarland sold fake tickets to events like the Met Gala and Coachella through NYC VIP Access, defrauding additional victims of over $100,000. This significantly increased his sentence.

Q: What happened at PHNX Festival 2025?

PHNX Festival took place on December 6, 2025, in Honduras. Unlike Fyre Festival, it actually happened—French Montana, Bobby Shmurda, and Slim Jxmmi performed. However, attendance was sparse (estimates of "tens" to "a few hundred"), with two power outages and a stage crasher. It was a marginal improvement over Fyre but far from a success.