Fyre Fest Fraudster Threw a Party (!) When He Was Freed

Billy McFarland, the fraud behind the Fyre Festival disaster who spent four years in prison, celebrated his release by throwing himself a party at a Manhattan cocktail lounge and taking part in a photo shoot and interview with The New York Times, arranged by his publicist. Among the revelations in the resulting article is that he is looking to make a comeback in tech and has abandoned plans to write a memoir because it won’t help him pay the $25 million he owes victims of the high-priced Bahamas bash that never materialized. McFarland—who spent quite a bit of time in solitary confinement because he flouted lockup rules—also revealed that friends and family are paying the rent on his Bed-Stuy apartment and the $700 sneakers he is wearing pre-date his guilty plea.