Would-be Mariah tour promoter admits conning backer
A promoter admitted today that he soaked a Bergen County investor of $330,000 for a series of Mariah Carey concerts in Dubai that never happened. Antywan Ross, 43, said he never intended to fulfill a promise to repay the Maywood investor with interest within 45 days, through his RDA Group company.
In fact, to make it appear the investment was secure, Ross employed an escrow agent who wouldn't disburse the investor's funds until Ross provided proof that at least $1 million in sponsorship money had been committed as part of the Fall 2008 concert series.
Ross didn't raise a penny, but he did send several bogus letters to the escrow agent within three days after it was wired from a Maywood bank. One purportedly was from a law firm that made it appear that more than $10 million in sponsorship money had been committed, federal authorities said.
Once the money was released, Ross went out and bought himself a new car, along with other personal items and services, investigators said. U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan let Ross remain free on a $250,000 bond until an October 13 sentencing in Trenton.
As part of his plea to a wire fraud charge - then of Atlanta, Georgia, and now of Berkeley, California - agreed to repay the victim $325,404.62 that he originally said were needed for start-up expenses.
U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman credited special agents of the United States Secret Service, under the direction of James Mottola, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Newark Field Office, with the investigation leading to today's guilty plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew E. Beck of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark presented the case. (Cliffview Pilot)
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