Two men who pretended to be members of the Wu-Tang Clan are now behind bars for their scams.
Atlanta’s WSB-TV reported that Aaron Barnes-Burpo and Walker Washington posed as rappers with Wu-Tang and Roc Nation and scammed Atlanta-area hotels out of more than $100,000. According to the report, a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta says the guys drove around in Rolls-Royces and walked out on $45,000 and $39,000 tabs that they ran up with stolen and fake credit cards at the Georgian Terrace hotel and Hyatt Regency, respectively.
A conflicting but similar report from Atlanta Journal-Constitution states that the men identified themselves as executives with Roc Nation and listed the Wu-Tang Clan as guests during at least one of their stays. The would-be criminal masterminds were caught during an attempt to run a similar scam at a hotel in Augusta, Ga. after staff became suspicious and called Roc Nation to confirm. The men are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
There were other people traveling with them as part of their entourage, though they were not charged. Two of those men told police they were homeless men from Atlanta who were hired by Washington and Barnes-Burpo to be “bodyguards,” according to the complaint.
The AJC reports that the men also racked up a $60,000 bill with A-National Limousine, the company they’d rented the Rolls-Royce Phantom from. They also caused two Atlanta recording studios a total loss of more than $17,000, the complaint states.
