Con man stole millions promising Justin Bieber concerts, feds say. He’s off to prison
MIAMI — A man who fleeced a concert promoter out of more than $1 million by promising that Justin Bieber and other pop stars would appear in a bogus music festival is headed to federal prison.
Terronce Morris, 42, was sentenced last week to more than four years in prison by U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz. In February, he pleaded guilty to wire-fraud conspiracy and identity theft charges in Miami federal court.
The saga began in late 2019 when Morris, who posed as a Texas music producer, and partner Blake Kelly met a concert promoter who specialized in producing music festivals in large venues, according to court documents filed as part of the plea agreement.
Kelly, a 37-year-old who worked in the music business in Los Angeles, also pleaded guilty to the charges. He was sentenced in March to spend 13 months behind bars.
In a slew of emails, texts and phone calls, Morris claimed he had extensive experience signing up big-time musical performers for stadium concerts, including Bieber. In those exchanges, Kelly also claimed he was “intimate friends” with Bieber.
Kelly assured the promoter that he and Morris could secure Bieber “to headline and perform at a live musical concert series in 2020.” Morris emailed the promoter a fake contract, which detailed that $800,000 was set to go to Bieber and $500,000 to both Billie Eilish and Post Malone.
Swayed by the con men, the promoter turned over the money for the purported music festival in San Antonio, Texas, according to the indictment. The pair was charged in Miami federal court because the duped concert promoter was visiting South Florida at the time of their communications.
But the scheme didn’t end there, feds say.
Through 2023, at least three other people in the music industry fell prey to Morris’ scam — and collectively lost more than $1.3 million. While out on bond awaiting trial, Morris met with one of the victims and vowed to have Bieber perform “someday in the near future.”
At one point, Morris even opened a bank account in Texas using the personal identifying information of someone who shares the same name as Bieber, according to prosecutors. He used the money to “finance a lavish lifestyle,” including “traveling, purchasing luxury goods, paying for luxurious services, and dining at high-priced restaurants.”
Morris, who prosecutors say “used the same modus operandi to steal millions from other victims,” raked in close to $3 million in his bogus concerts scheme.