By Nolan Strong
Cortez Bryant, manager for rap superstar Lil Wayne has become the victim of a scam artist who is using fake aliases on the Internet to secure bookings for the chart-topping rapper, as well as others, specifically Drake.
Bryant owns Bryant Management, which handles the managerial duties for Drake, along with company Hip Hop Since 1978.
An imposter has been using Twitter accounts and fake Gmail accounts to accept money for the artists, which is then pocketed.
The Chambers Group, which handles press for Cortez Bryant issued a statement to AllHipHop.com in regards to the fraud.
"It has come to light that an individual has been impersonating Bryant Management CEO Cortez Bryant for financial gain through false bookings of his clients, specifically the much buzzed about recording artist Drake,” a rep for Bryant told AllHipHop.com.
The imposter has created bogus twitter (such as twitter.com/Tezpoe) and email accounts (such as lilwaynebooking@gmail.com) in Bryant’s name which he then utilizes to secure and pocket deposits for false bookings and club appearances. Bryant Management, who counts rap powerhouse Lil Wayne among their clientele and was recently celebrated for their record breaking summer tour America’s Most Wanted Music Festival, is fully cooperating with the investigation and confident that the individual will be apprehended in a timely manner.”
Drake is booked solely through ICM Talent and Literary Agency.
Over the years, several men have been arrested for posing as booking agents for rappers and collecting the deposits for their own gain.
Last month, Jesse Manuel Munoz was arrested for scamming victims out of over $500,000 in real estate scams, in addition to a scheme booking that involved illegally booking rapper Pitbull for fake shows.
In 2005, a man named Scott Elkins was sentenced to 45 days in jail for promoting a series of bogus concerts featuring Lil Jon and Lil Flip.