50 Cent tells court piles of cash in Instagram photos were fake
The 40-year-old rapper filed for bankruptcy in the summer of 2015, claiming debts of $32m
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.No self-respecting rapper would be seen without a pile of cash, some sparkling jewels and a bangin’ ride. But it would not necessarily mean it was his. Nor would it mean the cash was real.
That, at least, appeared to be the argument of the musician 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson III, who was this week asked by a judge to explain the apparent incongruity of him posting Instagram pictures of himself with piles of dollar bills, having only recently filed for bankruptcy.
Some of the money- real or otherwise - was stashed inside a refrigerator. In another image he spelled out the word “broke” with the dollar bills.
A photo posted by 50 Cent (@50cent) on
The 40-year-old New York-born rapper, producer and businessman, said nothing when he appeared in court in Connecticut on Wednesday, dressed in a dark gray suit, and he said nothing afterwards.
Yet his lawyers repeated their claim that the money shown in the photographs was fake and nothing more than a marketing promotion.
In documents filed to the court, Jackson insisted the cash that appeared in the Instagram pictures was “prop money.”
“Just because I am photographed in or next to a certain vehicle, wearing an article of clothing, holding a product, sitting next to what appears to be large sums of money or modeling expensive pieces of jewelry does not meant that I own everything in those photos,” he wrote.
The court in Hartford called the rapper to attend, after he filed for bankruptcy last July, days after a after a jury ordered him to pay $5m to a woman who accused him of posting a sex tape of her online. He was eventually ordered to pay her an additional $2m, the Associated Press said.
Holley Claiborn, a lawyer with the US Trustee’s Office, called on the judge to appoint an examiner to determine if the rapper was fully reporting his assets and income in his bankruptcy case. The rapper’s lawyers opposed the request.
“If debtors are not held accountable ... then we don’t have any public confidence in the system, Ms Claiborn told Judge Ann Nevins.
The judge did not rule on the request on Wednesday. She scheduled a status conference for April 6, but could issue a decision before then.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments