Security News > 2020 > October > Rapper Scams $1.2M in COVID-19 Relief, Gloats with ‘EDD’ Video

Rapper Fontrell Antonio Baines, who goes by the stage name "Nuke Bizzle," made his first appearance in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles on Friday after being charged with fraudulently applying for more than $1.2 million in jobless benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Central District of California.

Authorities were tipped off to the scheme after Baines posted a music video on YouTube and Instagram titled "EDD," an apparent reference to the state unemployment agency.

In the video, posted on Sept. 11 and also featuring rapper Fat Wizza, Baines brags about "My swagger for EDD," and holds up a stack of envelopes from the office, adding, "You gotta sell cocaine, I just file a claim."

The video shows Nuke Bizzle and Fat Wizza collecting EDD envelopes from various mailboxes, filing fraudulent claims on a laptop and spending wads of cash.

Baines put out a video bragging about the alleged crime and showing how it worked.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/rapper-scams-covid-19-relief-video/160315/