Photo: Chris MacDonald
An American musician has been sentenced to just under four years in prison after conning investors out of $600,000 by pretending to make a charity album featuring the likes of Arcade Fire and Bruce Springsteen.
Kasey Anderson, who is a Portland-based singer, defrauded over 30 investors between 2009 and 2011, telling them that their money was going towards a charity album called Trapped Like A Ghost, which would feature Arcade Fire, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M.
Anderson was, in fact, putting the money into furthering his own musical career, and the charity album never existed. Steps he took to convince investors it was legitimate included impersonating a Seattle tour manager, forging an email from investors' family members and playing previously released Springsteen cuts to potential investors and passing them off as new collaborations with Arcade Fire.
Anderson pleaded guilty to the crime last August and still owes almost $400,000 to investors he tricked. He has now been sentenced to nearly four years in prison.
In a recent letter to the court, he said: "I am a deeply flawed and mentally ill person who made some terrible choices, causing so much emotional and financial damage to others." He added: "I am so sorry for what I've done and want so badly to make it right."
Anderson, who has been diagnosed with Type 1 Bipolar Disorder, has toured as the opening act for Counting Crows.
