A Baltimore-area rapper who produced a dance song featuring T-Pain will now spend more than two years in prison for stealing money from his day job to fund his music career. “Dance with Me Remix,” by rapper Chad Focus, has more than 19,700 views on YouTube, but federal prosecutors said the man behind the hip-hop persona, Chad Arrington, used his company’s American Express card to pay online streaming platforms to artificially increase his song plays, and to purchase likes and followers across social media to the tune of $4 million.
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The 33-year-old from Randallstown, Maryland, who bought a Times Square billboard to promote himself according to prosecutors, was sentenced Wednesday following a plea agreement. The agreement stipulates he has to pay full restitution.
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The company’s financial loss forced his co-workers to take pay cuts, the judge said during the sentencing. Arrington worked for a subsidiary of Agora Publishing, and prosecutors said he concealed the scheme for years with help from co-conspirators who altered billing statements to hide his purchases.
