Married Couple Posing as Adele’s Manager Arrested After Trying to Score Free Kendrick Tickets
A married couple were arrested in Miami on Saturday after allegedly posing as Adele’s manager Jonathan Dickins in an attempt to score free tickets to see Kendrick Lamar at Rolling Loud Festival, Billboard reports. Justin Jackson and Angel Lii have reportedly posed as Dickins multiple times to request tickets and memorabilia from artists including Rihanna, Drake, Katy Perry, Pharrell, Usher, and Chris Brown. The real Dickins apparently found out about the scam from a few artists’ representatives, and over a year ago, he reported the events to the Miami-Dade Police. An investigation was launched, and their attempt to get into Rolling Loud led to a sting.
After being contacted with the request, Kendrick’s label, Top Dawg Entertainment, reached out to the real Dickins. Adele’s manager then contacted Miami police, who set up a sting. Detective Steven Kaufman posed as a production manager and arranged for Jackson and Lii to pick up tickets. Jackson allegedly said that he was Dickins’ assistant and claimed that his “employer” was unavailable because he was working with clients. Both Jackson and Lii were quickly detained by police. They reportedly face grand theft and identity theft charges.
Apparently, Jackson has a history of impersonating celebrity representatives. He served two years in Florida prison after posing as Madonna’s rep. In 2007, he convinced a New York boutique to loan $2.4 million in jewelry, which he then sold to a Florida pawn shop. He allegedly forged a signature from Oprah Winfrey, claimed to be Oprah’s nephew, and posed as a Reggie Love—a former aide to Barack Obama.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Kendrick’s management contacted Dickins about the alleged scam. In fact, it was Kendrick’s label, Top Dawg Entertainment.
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