Canadian rapper Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham) has become a defendant in a federal RICO class-action lawsuit. He is accused of using the online gambling platform Stake.us to artificially inflate the number of streams of his music and conceal illegal financial transactions. This is reported by NBC News, writes UNN.
Details
According to court documents, Drake, along with influencer Adin Ross and Australian George Nguyen, deployed a network of automated bots. The purpose of the scheme was to artificially increase the number of plays of the rapper's tracks on Spotify and other platforms to "create the appearance of popularity" and manipulate charts ahead of the release of his new album "Iceman."
The lawsuit alleges that the accomplices used Stake.us's internal fund transfer features to finance this activity. The plaintiffs describe this system as an unregulated tool that allows bypassing financial oversight and US gambling regulations.
Role of accomplices and gambling business
According to the investigation, George Nguyen acted as an operational broker, converting cryptocurrency into cash to pay for streaming farm services. Adin Ross, known for his scandalous streams, helped promote the scheme.
Drake has been an official brand ambassador for Stake since 2022. The lawsuit states that the Stake.us site is a "virtual clone" of Stake.com, which is banned in many states, and was created specifically to mislead regulators.
Legal prospects
This is not the first legal challenge for the artist:
- Similar lawsuits alleging facilitation of illegal gambling against Drake and Ross have already been filed in Missouri and New Mexico.
- The hearing in Missouri is scheduled for March 20.
- No criminal charges have been filed against the defendants yet.
Representatives of Stake have previously denied such accusations, calling them baseless. Drake and Adin Ross have not yet provided official comments on the lawsuit in Virginia.