A 37-year-old man has been charged with swindling a St Louis talent agency out of US$270,000 (€248,000) over a fake festival booking.

Joshua Adam Eldridge was arrested in Nashville last week, having been indicted in the US District Court in St Louis, Missouri on one count of wire fraud.

He is accused of fraudulently obtaining $270,000 from a talent booking agency in St. Louis, Missouri with false claims about a concert appearance by a “national recording artist”.

It is alleged that Eldridge made a series of claims in March and April of 2024, including that he had an existing relationship with the act and was talking to her about performing at that year’s Afro Nation Detroit festival. Eldridge also allegedly sent the booking agency fake screenshots of texts with the artist’s creative director.

The indictment says that while Eldridge did make a request to the artist through a third party, the offer was rejected.

After the victim wired $270,000 for the artist to Eldridge, he is alleged to have used the money for living expenses

After the complainant wired $270,000 for the artist to Eldridge, he is alleged to have used the money for living expenses, including airline tickets, clothing and accessories.

When the alleged victim confronted Eldridge about a planned concert by the act the same month in Detroit, Eldridge is said to have promised to return the deposit, complete with a “fabricated refund agreement” between Eldridge and the artist’s creative director, the indictment says.

The FBI investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by assistant US Attorney Kyle Bateman.

The US Department of Justice has not disclosed the name of the booking agency or artist involved.

Afro Nation Detroit 2024 was held over two days last August, featuring the likes of Rema, Lil Wayne, Asake and PartyNextDoor.

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The world’s biggest Afrobeats festival Afro Nation has announced details of its inaugural Detroit, Michigan edition.

The brand, which celebrates Afrobeats, Black music and culture, makes its US debut later this month at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida from 27-28 May, headlined by Burna Boy and Wizkid and presented by Event Horizon, SMADE and Live Nation.

A Detroit spin-off has now been confirmed for 19-20 August in partnership with Bedrock at the local real estate company’s Douglass site.

“When considering which US cities would be right for our Afro Nation festival, Detroit was a clear choice,” says Event Horizon CEO Natasha Manley. ” The musical legacy, culture, people and community of Detroit connects to why we started Afro Nation: to celebrate Black music and culture. Our diverse global audience will undoubtedly enjoy the unique Detroit show and appreciate the immense influence of Detroit on the evolution of music.”

Launched in 2019, Afro Nation festivals have taken place in Africa, Europe and the Caribbean

The event is being positioned to become Afro Nation’s flagship festival in the US. It will feature additional activations and events to honour “Detroit’s musical contributions to the world and highlight its connection to present day American, African and global Black culture and music”.

Launched in 2019, Afro Nation festivals have taken place in Africa, Europe and the Caribbean, with the 2023 Portugal event scheduled for Portimão from 28-30 June, headlined by Burna Boy, 50 Cent and Booba.

The brand, which also showcases hip-hop, R&B, amapiano, dancehall and reggae, debuted in North America last year with Afro Nation Puerto Rico, as well as its return to Portugal for the second time and Ghana, for the first time since 2019. A Mexican edition had also been planned for September 2020, before the pandemic intervened.

“We launched Afro Nation Miami recently and would love to do more shows in the US,” co-founder Obi Asika told IQ earlier this year. “A lot goes into selecting locations for an Afro Nation festival, the beauty of the site, event infrastructure, travel logistics and accommodation for guests, but most importantly, everywhere you’ll find an Afro Nation event will be bringing joy to sites of cultural significance around the world.”

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