According to a new report from Business Insider, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Alice in Chains, Marshmello, and other artists apparently spent massive amounts of COVID relief grant money on luxury items, travel, and themselves. Senator Gary Peters called it “an abuse of federal resources.” Brown’s CBE Touring company received $10 million from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program, with nearly $5 million going directly to Brown, which he used to pay for a lavish birthday party and a trip to Mexico. Lil Wayne received an $8.9 million grant, spending $1.4 million on private jets and nearly $500,000 on luxury clothing.
DJ/producer Marshmello collected the entire $9.9 million grant his touring company received. While Alice in Chains touring company, AIC Entertainment, received a $4.1 million grant. Frontman Jerry Cantrell received $1.4 million of SVOG funds, while drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez each received $682,000. None of that money went towards staff health insurance, forcing AIC’s guitar tech/photographer Scott Dachroeden to start a GoFundMe to pay for his cancer treatment in 2022. Dachroeden died earlier this year. (Rolling Stone)