‘King Bob’, the man who has reportedly been connected to the leaks of music by Playboi Carti and other major music artists, has been arrested for alleged wire fraud and identity theft.
READ MORE: Playboi Carti – ‘Whole Lotta Red’ review: disappointing follow-up boasts moments of brilliance
The 19-year-old – whose real name is Noah Michael Urban – was arrested last Tuesday (January 9), according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
He was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of wire fraud and five counts of aggravated identity theft.
Urban – who is said to have gained notoriety online under his ‘King Bob’ moniker, an alias included the attorney office press release – is also reported to have leaked music by artists including Playboi Carti, Ariana Grande and Lil Uzi Vert.
He does not currently face any charges related to song leaks.
If convicted, Urban – who also went by ‘Sosa’, ‘Elijah’, and ‘Anthony Ramirez’ – faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each wire fraud charge, alongside a minimum mandatory penalty of two years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity offences which will run consecutive to any other prison sentence.
Playboi Carti performs on the main stage during Day 2 of Wireless Festival 2022 at Crystal Palace Park on July 02, 2022 in London, England (CREDIT: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
He is alleged to have stolen more than $800,000 (£630,800) from five different people.
According to jail logs (per HipHopDX), Urban was handed an additional charge of being a fugitive from justice when he was picked up by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Part of his charges relate to alleged fraudulent cryptocurrency use.
Bitcoin was at the centre of an alleged leak of Playboi Carti’s music in 2020 when his producer, Jetsonmade, was accused of leaking the artist’s music for money.
Playboi Carti’s last album came out on Christmas day 2020, described by NME in a three-star review as a “disappointing follow-up” that “boasts moments of brilliance”.
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