Forgery scandal: Guilty plea in $1.35 million fake concert scheme with Bieber’s signature;Eilish; Malone, do those artists know?

Terronce Morris and Blake Kelly claimed to have secured the performances for a music festival and demanded money for production, federal prosecutors say.

Billie Eilish at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 4, 2024John Shearer / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Two men defrauded more than $1 million from a concert promoter by impersonating Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish and Post Malone on performance contracts, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Terronce Morris and Blake Kelly pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in the scheme, federal officials said.

They faked contracts with bogus signatures from Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish and Post Malone, claiming to have secured their performances for a music festival, federal prosecutors said.

The pair also organized a video call between the promoter and an accomplice posing as Bieber to further trick the victim into believing their scheme, the DOJ said in a statement.

Morris and Kelly convinced a concert promoter to send them $1.35 million for the purported production cost, federal officials said.

The men allegedly used the money to finance a lavish lifestyle of travel, luxury goods and fine dining.

“Mr. Bieber was saddened to learn about the circumstances alleged in the indictment that led to the guilty pleas and cooperated fully with federal law enforcement throughout the investigation,” the singer’s attorney Michael Rhodes told NBC News.

Both men face up to 20 years in prison. Kelly is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, and Morris on May 2 in Florida.