An aspiring rapper Mr. Chaketah is under fire from federal prosecutors who allege his track "I'm Really Sophisticated (IRS)" confesses to fraud. Moreover, the MC – real name Jamari Lewis – now faces federal fraud charges for an alleged $650 million scheme that involved scamming the United States government for COVID-19 relief funds. Per AllHipHop, prosecutors reportedly labeled this as the most expansive ERC (Employee Retention Credit) fraud case in the nation's history. Furthermore, the indictment from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York claims that Lewis played a major role in this scam and also boasted about it in this song.
This group of alleged scammers allegedly found leadership in a man named Keith Williams, and allegedly filed over 8,000 fraudulent tax returns as a collective through Credit Reset. This led to a $44 million bag from federal payouts, which don't aim to support scammers but rather small businesses and families struggling in the COVID-19 pandemic. But prosecutors allege that this group used this scam to fund their luxury exploits, including Mr. Chaketah's emerging rap career and this controversial track in question.
Mr. Chaketah's "IRS"
"That government bread, I ran that s**t up, like how am I gon’ lose?" he raps on "IRS." Not only that, but Mr. Chaketah's cover art for this record reportedly features the Internal Revenue Service's logo, which prosecutors label as a self-incriminating boast. Also, they claim that his music video for the song also shows all of the lavish and expensive items that he bought as a result of this alleged COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. Still, Chaketah is not the only person that authorities targeted. They also reportedly seized various luxury items from other co-conspirators accused in the indictment, including a Tesla and a Polaris.
Williams, Mr. Chaketah's alleged ringleader, allegedly likened their supposed scam to "taking candy from a baby" in a phone call. This alleged scheme targeted the Employee Retention Credit and the Payment Protection Program, and Lewis and his six other codefendants face wire fraud, conspiracy, and many more charges that could result in decades behind bars. This is just the latest controversial application of rap lyrics in court.
