Two women were taken into custody on Wednesday on allegations that they attempted to fraud the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation. The organization was launched by family members who lost their loved ones during the tragic attack at Sandy Hook Elementary in December 2012. On that day, 20-year-old Adam Lanza entered the school and opened fire killing 26 people: 20 children and 6 adult staff members.
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The Sandy Hook Promise Foundation lists its mission as hoping “to create a culture engaged in preventing shootings, violence, and other harmful acts in schools. Sandy Hook Promise is a moderate, above-the-politics organization that supports sensible program and policy solutions that address the “human side” of gun violence by preventing individuals from ever getting to the point of picking up a firearm to hurt themselves or others.”
According to ABC News, the foundation wanted to host a benefit concert in San Antonio, Texas, so the nonprofit contacted booking agents Nancy Jean and Carissa Scott of reportedly Canvas Media Group. The women stated that they were responsible for scheduling events for high-profile artists, so SHP agreed to use them to secure talent.
Then, Jean and Scott penned contracts for the event: $500K for Justin Timberlake and $600K for Bruno Mars. With the latter also came a $300K down payment to secure the December 13, 2019 concert date. There were even talks of Drake, Flo Rida, Ed Sheeran, Usher, and Lady Gaga possibly being added to the bill, but what the foundation didn’t know was that the women weren’t in contact with any of the artists or their representatives.
ABC News reports that as time drew closer for the concert to go down, investors were confused as to why none of the artists were listing the event on their social media pages. When they realized there was no publicity at all, they contacted authorities to make sure everything was legitimate. What the FBI found was that the women used half of the money to lease a Mercedes-Benz and made $1,200 worth of purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Jean and Scott were arrested while they were making their way through the John F. Kennedy Airport on Wednesday. They were arrested on charges of fraud, but it’s unclear if other charges will be added at a later date..
