Chad Focus a.k.a Chad Arrington has thousands of followers on Instagram, and his music videos average about four million views on YouTube, making him popular enough to feel he has an image to uphold for his fan base. But the money, cars, and lavish lifestyle he lived on social media were never actually his.
Federal prosecutors say Arrington stole $4.1M from his employer using a company-issued credit card and now he faces up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors believe the fraud took place between January 2015 and August 2016.
Indictment documents say that Arrington worked as a search engine analyst at an unnamed company where he was issued a credit card for business expenses. U.S. Attorney for Maryland Robert Hur said, “He was using that company credit card to make purchases for himself, to enrich himself and his own personal business and his brand.”
Arrington allegedly forged signatures from supervisorssigning off for the purchases and had co-conspirators use computer software to falsify billing statements. He made over $1.5 million worth of fraudulent purchases at businesses owned by the accomplices, who then kicked back hundreds of thousands of dollars to the artist, according to court documents.
The indictment says Arrington purchased concert tickets, billboards, audio equipment and paid for travel expenses. He also bought many of his followers on social media and paid outside platforms to artificially increase his plays on streaming services.
Federal investigators state there were other business ventures attached to the fraudulent credit card purchases as well. In 2018, the credit card was used to purchase over $80,000 in electric bikes, hoverboards and scooters. Arrington also allegedly charged $25,000 from a company to install bike sharing stations around Maryland.
