A crook who copped to grand larceny charges for falsely promising promoters he could book world-famous performers including Rihanna and Lady Gaga tried to back out of his plea deal Tuesday claiming he was coerced.
Meceo McEaddy, who along with pal Vincent Carroll, allegedly stole $3.7 million from promoters, claimed he only signed the plea deal in October 2013 because his previous lawyer threatened he’d “never see the light of day” if he didn’t.
But Justice Melissa Jackson didn’t buy his coercion claim and sentenced him to 5-to-10 years in prison.
As he was led away in cuffs, his mother, who wouldn’t give her name, shouted to him from the gallery, “Why didn’t you say anything about the diabetes?”
“He was delusional,” she said after court. “He’s a diabetic. This man got railroaded.”
Mc Eaddy, 39, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of grand larceny and scheme to defraud last October. Vincent Carroll, 48, was sentenced to 3-to-9 years on similar charges. The thieving duo must pay $2.5 million in restitution as part of their sentence.
“These scam artists bilked event promoters and party planners across the globe, to the tune of $3.7 million,” said District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. “As this investigation progressed, victim after victim came forward to report that the defendants had promised to book them performances by international stars like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and Justin Timberlake.”
Additional reporting Rebecca Rosenberg