Baby Blue Released From Prison After $24 Million PPP Loan Scam Conviction
Written by SOURCE on February 8, 2023
Baby Blue of the group Pretty Ricky has been released from prison after serving a year of his 20 month sentence on conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges, TMZ reports.
The artist was released from the Federal Correctional Institution Coleman Low in Florida on Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed. The 38-year-old musician pled guilty to the wire fraud charges in August 2020, and was sentenced to 20 months in prison starting in February 2022. He has since been transferred to the Bureau of Prisons’ Miami Residential Reentry Management Office, and will stay in community confinement until at least April 4.
Baby Blue was accused of filing fake applications to obtain funds through the U.S. Paycheck Protection Program that rolled out as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act in 2020. Through the alleged scam, he is said to have received over $24 million.
Following his release, Baby Blue told The Shade Room that he was released as part of the First Step Act, which Donald Trump introduced in 2018. “I met a lot of real n****s in the feds,” said Baby Blue in a statement. “A lot of good street n****s doing time in this fucked up system just for hustling and getting money to support they families. Anybody out there that got a loved one behind them walls, make sure y’all show love. Y’all all they got and that commissary expensive than a bitch! I appreciate all the love and support from my family, friends, and fans!”
He added that he plans to drop a new album soon, and he also wrote a book during his time behind bars. “Officially changing my name to BIGG MONEY BLUE!” he said. “Shoutout to my n****s at Coleman Prison! I’m bout to get back to the MONEY! LETS GO!!!” In a video seen in the Instagram post below, he was greeted by Pleasure P and Spectacular upon release.
Baby Blue will reportedly be under supervised release for the next three years, and is still expected to pay $1,111,345.23 in restitution. Per court documents, he already forfeited his 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia a year ago, which took off approximately $65,000 from the money owed.
