Westport Man Pleads Guilty In $2M Fraud Against Rapper 50 Cent: Feds

WESTPORT, CT — A 44-year-old Westport man pleaded guilty in New Jersey federal court this week to a fraud scheme that swindled more than $2 million from Sire Spirits, an alcohol company owned by rapper, producer and entrepreneur Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.

Mitchell E. Green pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. District Court Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

Under the fraud scheme, Green, who previously worked for Sire Spirits, caused the company to overpay for champagne and cognac, while he collected $2.19 million in kickbacks based on the inflated prices, prosecutors said.

"Though he was supposed to negotiate the best deal possible for his employer, Green set up secret side deals to inflate what his employer paid so that he could reap millions of dollars in kickbacks," Sellinger said in a statement. "Companies must be able to rely on the integrity of their agents to conduct business. When employees violate that trust and engage in fraud — like the defendant did here — this Office and our law enforcement partners are prepared to hold them accountable."

In the announcement, 50 Cent is not mentioned by name, but is referred to as "an internationally recognized music artist, producer, and entrepreneur." The Connecticut Post names the rapper, based on a civil lawsuit filed against Green by Sire Spirits.

Green worked for the Hoboken, New Jersey-based business first as a consultant and then as a full-time employee from June 2017 to February 2020. During that period, Green "secretly negotiated side agreements with two French distilleries to pay him kickbacks through his company, Q Branch LLC, for each bottle of champagne and cognac" that Sire Spirits bought from the distilleries.

The scheme caused Sire Spirits to unknowingly pay the cost of his kickbacks by hiding it in the per-bottle price that the distilleries charged for the champagne and cognac, according to prosecutors.

Based on those inflated prices, Sire paid $14.8 million for the champagne and cognac, and Green collected $2.19 million in hidden kickbacks from the French champagne and cognac distilleries.

"As Green has discovered, there’s no such thing as easy money," FBI-Newark Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said in a statement. "The FBI works tirelessly to ensure that the consequences for this type of fraud far outweigh the initial payout."

The charge of wire fraud is punishable by a potential maximum prison term of 20 years, and a fine of the greater between:

• $250,000
• Twice the gross profits
• Twice the gross loss suffered to the victims of his offense

Green is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Blake Coppotelli of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit.