Fontrell Antonio Baines is facing federal charges after he was taken into police custody for boasting about being involved in Employment Development Department (EDD) scam.
- Oct 18, 2020
AceShowbiz - Rapper Nuke Bizzle has been busted by cops after seemingly admitting to taking part in an unemployment scam in a new music video.
Officials from the Department of Justice confirmed the arrest of the 31-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee, real name is Fontrell Antonio Baines, on federal charges of fraudulently applying for more than $1.2 million (£929,616) in jobless benefits, according to CBS Los Angeles.
The report states the star was arrested on 23 September (20) in Las Vegas, where he was found in possession of eight Employment Development Department (EDD) debit cards. All but one of the cards bore the names of other people, an affidavit reportedly states.
His arrest comes after Bizzle shared a video for his track "EDD", which features him and another rapper boasting about taking money using other people's EDD debit cards.
The lyrics include him boasting about his "swagger for EDD" and mentions "go(ing) to the bank with a stack of these" - at which he holds up Employment Development Department envelopes.
The affidavit reportedly alleges that 92 EDD debit cards were preloaded with a total of more than $1.2 million in fraudulent benefits and delivered to properties in Beverly Hills and Koreatown that Bizzle apparently had access to.
According to the local report, the star took part in the scam along with other "co-schemers" who allegedly withdrew more than $704,000 (£545,375) in cash from the cards.
He has been charged with access device fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property, and aggravated identity theft and faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison.
