Like a barnacle on a ship or a recurring STI, Billy McFarland simply will not go away. Some highlights from McFarland’s resume over his near-decade of infamy: launching Fyre Festival in 2017, the elite “music festival” that had no music but multiple health hazards; spending four years in prison (2018-2022) after being convicted of wire fraud for Fyre Festival; threatening promising to deliver Fyre Festival II in 2025, a redemption concert that would correct all the mistakes made in the first iteration, for which he wrote a 50-page business model while serving a stint in solitary confinement; finally canceling Fyre Festival II after two separate Mexican cities outed him for not having made any contact or preparations; selling the Fyre Festival “brand” on eBay for $245,300. So, what bright idea is Billy overhyping now ahead of the inevitable crashing out in execution? He says he’s gonna jet ski 1,500 nautical miles from the Honduran island of Utila to Venezuela, and that it will all be livestreamed on an as-yet unnamed streaming platform that’s paying him to do this stunt. Ok.

“I expect to be the first American to arrive since capturing Maduro,” McFarland tells us. (The South American country is in the midst of upheaval after President Donald Trump arrested Nicolas Maduro on January 3 and brought him to New York City on drug charges).

The scammer — who served four years in prison over the Fyre catastrophe — says that he’ll have a boat following him and he’ll be pulling over to sleep on land.

McFarland tells us his goal is to throw an event with his new company, PHNX, on Margarita Island, 24 miles off the coast of Venezuela.

He picked the start-off point, Utila, because he actually did manage to put on an event there in December in front of what one web site described as “tens” of people.

Since the Fyre debacle in 2017, the convicted con has promised several projects that ultimately never happened including Fyre Festival II and an ill-conceived virtual events company called PYRT, which led to a lawsuit from his business investor whom he’d met in prison.

The scammer, who owed $26 million in restitution, claims he is being paid to make the Baywatch-esque voyage to Venezuela by a third party streaming platform through which users will be able to watch his journey.

He declined to name which platform.

“The only way to pay back $20 million is to work, have concepts, and bring people together. By doing that over the past three years I have been paying restitution every month,” he tells us. “I need to do these things to earn money whether it’s getting paid for a TV show, marketing or brand sponsorships or, in this case, a live streaming platform. This is how I pay back restitution.”

McFarland says he’s not waiting for the geopolitics to cool off, and he’ll depart as soon as the weather is appropriate.

When asked if he felt that a party is what the Venezuelans need right now, McFarland told us he thinks it could use some tourism.

“What we are really good at, and what we just proved we are great at, is driving tourism particularly for island destinations. We bring exposure and people and hoping to make a positive impact on the area,” he said.

McFarland held a concert with French Montana, Bobby Shmurda, and Slim Jxmmi in Honduras this December that actually happened.

[From Page Six]

“…he actually did manage to put on an event there in December in front of what one web site described as ‘tens’ of people,” is giving me LIFE. Shout-out to AV Club for that gem. The nugget about McFarland being sued by an investor he met in prison is also pretty good. As for the rest of this, sigh. I suppose it’s an improvement that McFarland isn’t selling overpriced tickets for this soon-to-be disaster. Similarly, McFarland is the only one at risk here as opposed to “tens” or more concertgoers. (Aside of course from whatever motley crew he assembles, thoughts and prayers to them.) Overall, though, I’m just gobsmacked. We’ll be guffawing at anything McFarland attempts ever again, he’s earned that eternal side-eyeing. But to tastelessly tie in a stupid water sports stunt to a disgraceful political situation?? McFarland’s continued ability to dumbfound me makes me feel very, very dumb, and that’s a power this man should not be able to wield! Whatever happened to shame? And why is it Billy McFarland seems to have none?!