A federal investigation reveals that musicians Lil Wayne and Chris Brown misused millions in COVID-19 relief funds intended for the live entertainment industry, spending the money on luxury items and personal expenses.

Business Insider's investigation found that the artists received grants up to $10 million through a pandemic relief program overseen by the Small Business Administration. The funds were meant to support ongoing business operations for companies that experienced at least a 25% revenue decline during the pandemic.

According to accounting documents, Lil Wayne used the funds for:

• Private jet flights
• Luxury brand purchases from Gucci and Balenciaga
• $175,000 for his personal brand expenses
• $2 million to pay off a debt to his former manager
• $5.3 million to managers, accountants, and attorneys
• Minimal support for his touring crew

Chris Brown received $10 million for his CBE Touring company, with:

• $5.1 million going directly to himself
• $80,000 spent on his 33rd birthday party

Other artists like DJ Marshmello also took advantage of the program's "owner compensation" category, with Marshmello receiving $9.9 million in personal compensation.

Former U.S. controller general David Walker questioned the legality of these expenditures, while Senator Gary Peters called it "an abuse of federal resources." The Small Business Administration reports recovering $43 million in grants, though $6 billion remains under review for compliance.

Despite creating a team to recover wrongfully awarded grants, organizational records from September showed no staff had been assigned to the recovery effort.

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