Billy McFarland's grand new scheme sounds even wilder than Fyre Fest - New York Post

Billy McFarland is acceptable for his 2nd enactment — determined to sunset the notoriously failed Fyre Festival and beryllium he’s much than a convicted con artist.

But his new dream sounds adjacent wilder than the 1 that landed him successful prison for astir 4 years.

McFarland, who turns 31 connected Sunday, is making plans for what helium calls “virtual immersive decentralized reality” events: exclusive parties — attended by influencers and entertainers — that would beryllium broadcast to the “entire world.” Users connected their couches astatine location could wage to “actually change” what’s happening astatine the party.

For instance, McFarland told The Post: “They could, like, bargain the endowment a portion and past person immoderate portion work bringing [the aforesaid benignant of drink] to them astatine the aforesaid clip the endowment gets it.

“So, if you’re 18 years aged and you’re connected your machine successful the mediate of America, present you tin really travel [to this party] and not lone ticker what’s happening, but instrumentality portion successful changing it,” McFarland said. “It benignant of gives you entree to this truly chill onshore and radical of people.”

He besides offered up a much gruesome illustration of however at-home “guests” could power the action.

McFarland’s caller thought involves “virtual immersive decentralized reality.”Emmy Park for NY Post

“If they determine to chum the h2o wherever I’m swimming, the h2o volition really beryllium chummed and the sharks volition beryllium happy.”

There mightiness beryllium rather a fewer takers connected that proposition, considering McFarland has been 1 of the astir hated men successful America.

In April 2017, thousands of radical had paid arsenic overmuch arsenic $12,000 each for the committedness of mingling with influencers similar Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid — some paid to endorse the festival — and performances by acts including Pusha T and Blink-182, astatine McFarland’s Fyre Festival connected the Bahamian land of Great Exuma.

But the young, jet-setting assemblage showed up to find catastrophe alleviation tents alternatively of decked-out villas and sad-looking sandwiches alternatively of the fancy meals they were promised. There were nary performances, and the influencers knew capable to alert and sail location arsenic soon arsenic possible.

The ex-con inactive owes much than $26.3 cardinal successful restitution.Patrick McMullan via Getty Image

McFarland organized the sham festival with rapper Ja Rule, who was not charged. McFarland pleaded blameworthy to 2 counts of ligament fraud successful March 2018. The disgraced promoter was aboriginal sentenced to six years successful prison and spent clip astatine 3 national lockups.

In a 2021 jailhouse interview, the convicted fraudster blamed an “unrealistic clip frame” for the spectacular nonaccomplishment that spawned respective documentaries, including Netflix’s “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened.”

So aft helium swindled investors and would-be revelers of much than $26 million, is anyone inactive looking to enactment with Billy McFarland?

The disastrous Fyre Festival promised attendees a luxury acquisition but massively failed to deliver.AP

Some users paid arsenic overmuch arsenic $12,000 for a Fyre Fest walk — lone to beryllium met with scenes similar this one.AP

The New Jersey native, present surviving successful Brooklyn pursuing his release from situation successful precocious March and a halfway location connected August 30, said he’s acutely alert of his galore skeptics — but wants to beryllium the naysayers wrong.

“I’m astir atrocious for conscionable violating their trust,” McFarland told The Post. “There’s nary different mode to enactment it than I was wholly incorrect before, and deserved everything that came my way. And I don’t deliberation it’s going to halt coming for a while. It’s lone going to beryllium harder implicit the adjacent six, 12, 18 months, but I bash privation to spell for it and effort to marque a affirmative interaction and assistance those who were wounded on the way.”

McFarland, who inactive owes a whopping $26.3 cardinal successful restitution, said he’s paid $19,000 successful 8 payments since precocious August.

He, of course, hopes to marque wealth with his caller enactment venture, which helium is, astonishingly, calling PYRT — pronounced “pirate.” He archetypal teased the “crazier” and “bigger” idea of virtual immersive decentralized reality, oregon VID/R, successful precocious October

“The easiest mode to picture it is rigging these adventures with 360-degree unrecorded cameras, and gathering a virtual replica of the islands, wherever anybody tin spell online, but erstwhile they’re really doing thing virtually, it’s happening successful the existent world,” McFarland said.

It’s hard to envision. But not arsenic hard arsenic seeing wherefore helium would privation to instrumentality to the country of his crime.

McFarland founded Fyre Fest with rapper Ja Rule (middle), who was not charged.Patrick McMullan via Getty Image

McFarland — who is besides hawking himself connected Cameo, offering personalized videos for conscionable $69 — said helium envisions holding the existent parties determination successful the Bahamas.

According to that country’s Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, McFarland is persona non grata.

“The nationalist is advised that nary exertion has been made to the Government of The Bahamas for information of immoderate lawsuit promoted by Billy McFarland oregon immoderate entity oregon parties known to beryllium associated with him,” Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said successful a connection past month.

The bittersweet food sandwich became 1 of the astir emblematic images of Fyre’s failures.????????????

As the organizer of the Fyre Festival, which Cooper called a “notorious charade,” the Bahamas volition not endorse immoderate lawsuit associated with McFarland.

“He is considered to beryllium a fugitive, with respective pending complaints made against him with the Royal Bahamas Police Force,” Cooper said. “Anyone knowing of his whereabouts should study aforesaid to the RBPF.”

Messages seeking remark from the Royal Bahamas Police Force were not returned.

Attendees posted a slew of embarrassing photos from the festival.

McFarland’s attorney, Harlan Protass, said he’s unaware of his lawsuit being sought by constabulary successful the Bahamas.

“Billy McFarland has paid his indebtedness to nine and is rebuilding his beingness and work, from which helium volition beryllium capable to wage restitution to the victims of his crimes,” the Manhattan-based Protass told The Post successful a statement.

While paying his indebtedness to society, McFarland said helium was sent to solitary confinement for having a USB drive.

“I got successful occupation a mates of times for sure,” McFarland said, adding that helium had the unauthorized instrumentality to support notes for his eventual tell-all book.

For McFarland’s caller planned events, helium said that at-home users could wage to chum the waters wherever he’ll beryllium swimming — attracting sharks.Emmy Park for NY Post

Other inmates rapidly recognized McFarland, sometimes starring to disjointed discussions, helium explained.

“The annoying happening was everybody would travel to maine with petty scams, whether it was ideas oregon advice” helium said. “And I conscionable didn’t cognize however to bash what they were talking about. A batch of radical couldn’t judge that I didn’t recognize however to bargain recognition cards.

“My transgression wasn’t sophisticated,” helium added. “I lied to investors astir however overmuch wealth we had and there’s not overmuch sophistication down that. So, it was benignant of comic to beryllium like, ‘Sorry guys, I’m not bully astatine that.’”

McFarland wants to clasp his caller lawsuit successful the Bahamas, contempt not being invited there.Emmy Park for NY Post

McFarland said helium was astounded by the fig of inmates conducting scams related to the Paycheck Protection Program — national loans to assistance tiny businesses retrieve from the pandemic — portion locked up. Since his ain release, he’s had to “basically abstracted ties” with a batch of the jailhouse crowd, helium said.

“Since my condemnation ended, it’s been overmuch easier to physique truly beardown radical astir me, but radical successful jailhouse saw an opportunity, for deficiency of a amended description,” McFarland continued. “It was decidedly pugnacious to modulation retired of that environment.”

As helium figures retired his “travel restrictions” for the Bahamas, McFarland said helium plans to trial retired his virtual pay-to-play “experiences” stateside successful the adjacent fewer months — including with a Jet Ski contention astir New York City successful the mediate of winter.

This winter, McFarland wants to big a jet-ski contention astir New York CIty, with at-home users controlling what happens.Getty Images

“All the endowment [will be] wearing super-thick wetsuits and we’ll person drones livestreaming it and let the fans to really alteration the people of the race,” McFarland explained. “It’ll beryllium a amusive mode to trial the technology.”

McFarland’s looking guardant to getting involved, too.

“I emotion the water, truthful I privation to bash the contention astir New York,” helium said. “I can’t spell the Bahamas, truthful I’ll bash it present successful the freezing cold.”

Some tech experts contacted by The Post said they’re intrigued by McFarland’s PYRT project, but request to spot much details.

He besides mentioned however at-home users mightiness beryllium capable to bid a existent enactment impermanent a drink — and person 1 delivered to themselves, too.Getty Images

“The question I person is, what is ‘real change’?” said University of Central Florida machine subject prof Joseph LaViola of McFarland’s assertion that erstwhile PYRT users “do thing virtually, it’ll happened successful the existent world” arsenic well.

“Depending connected however you specify ‘real change’ volition find if this thought is adjacent possible,” LaViola added.

The conception of a “digital twin,” oregon a virtual replica of a carnal entity, isn’t new, the prof said, with galore companies investing heavy successful them.

“Changing the virtual replica and having that alteration the existent carnal abstraction could beryllium done but determination would beryllium conditions connected however it could beryllium done and what could beryllium done,” LaViola said.

An undeterred McFarland, meanwhile, said helium intends to support gathering his PYRT squad of “close to a dozen” staffers and generating funds arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.

“And truly conscionable going time by day, trying to enactment ourselves, you know?” helium said. “Doing immoderate selling jobs, have a TV deal, signing shot cards, getting gross successful the doorway to past and wage restitution arsenic champion arsenic we can.”