Public Safety | Daily Report

Antywan Ross, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud for sending false sponsorship letters and e-mails. In addition to nearly two years in jail, Ross must undergo three years of supervised release and repay the $325,404 he bilked from the investor, court documents show.

The alleged scheme worked like this:

Around 2008, Ross asked J. Giovanni Baquerizo, a New Jersey-based former executive at ESPN International and founder of Alec Charles Capital LLC, to provide $330,000 to Ross' company, RDA Group LLC. The money would be used to promote several Carey concerts in Dubai. In return, Baquerizo would be repaid with interest in 45 days.

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To make it appear that Baquerizo's money was secure, Ross employed an escrow agent who would not disburse the investor’s funds until Ross provided proof that at least $1 million in sponsorship funds had been committed to the concerts.

According to the federal indictment, Ross never got any sponsorships. However, sometime in 2008, Ross obtained a number of fraudulent letters that made it appear that he had garnered more than $10 million in support.

Rebekah Carmichael, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Newark, N.J., said she did not know why Ross decided to use Carey's name in his scheme.

But one thing was clear: Ross admitted to prosecutors that he used the fake letters to convince the escrow agent and Baquerizo to release the money to him. The concerts never took place, and Ross spent most of the money on himself – including buying a car. Baquerizo did not respond to requests for comment.

Around 2002, Ross co-founded a talk show on the struggling Urban American Television network. In January 2007, Ross started the RDA Group in Atlanta and maintained a Berkeley address for the business. In a business proposal obtained by California Watch, Ross claimed to have been born in Berkeley and raised in St. Louis.

He also touted business relationships with a number of celebrities, including former LA Lakers basketball player Earvin "Magic" Johnson and musicians Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Destiny's Child and Keith Sweat. The proposal stated:

Traveling from city to city and at times living out of the trunk of his car, Mr. Ross remained eager and determined not to give up on his dream of becoming an entertainment executive...

RDA Group is described in the proposal as a company that "specializes in event planning, concert tours, artist management, and multi-media marketing & promotions." The company was dissolved in Georgia last September.