Question: Whatever happened to the promoters of the failed Stevie Wonder concert, who scammed the University of Hawaii out of $200,000?
Answer: One of the defendants — Sean Barriero, 44, — pleaded guilty to transporting the university’s money. He is out on $200,000 bail until he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Leslie Kobayashi on Dec. 5.
The other defendant — Marc Hubbard, owner of Castle Entertainment in North Carolina, who is alleged to have orchestrated the theft — faces trial March 18 on charges of wire fraud before Kobayashi. Hubbard entered a plea of not guilty in November and is free on $200,000 bond secured by property he owns. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Barriero, a British national who lives in Miami and the head of Epic Talent LLC, received the university’s $200,000 in an escrow account, federal prosecutors said. Barriero spent some of the money on personal purchases, including a Mercedes-Benz.
Epic Talent claimed to have "elite clients" and displayed photos and biographies of some of the world’s top entertainers, including Beyoncé, Prince, Jay-Z and Kanye West, with Epic Talent’s contact information as a link to the bevy of stars.
Robert Peyton of Bob Peyton Entertainment Corp. worked with the UH Athletics Department to set up the fundraising concert. He died in January.
After disclosure of the failed concert, athletic director Jim Donovan was reassigned. Donovan left the university altogether in mid-December to become athletic director at California State University at Fullerton.
Hubbard convinced a local promoter that he had connections with a former Motown Records executive who could secure Wonder for an August fundraiser.
The school paid $200,000 as a deposit and began selling tickets, but later learned neither the singer nor his representatives had authorized the concert. UH hasn’t been able to recover the money.
Senate President Donna Mercado Kim held three hearings to investigate the university’s handling of the concert fiasco.
The committee said no one at the university looked into whether the agent was an authorized representative of the singer. Lawmakers also faulted a lack of oversight and communication in the school’s athletic department, general counsel and disbursing office.
In November, a university task force said the school allowed itself to be deceived because those involved in the financial transactions lacked judgment and failed to take responsibility.
More than $1.2 million was spent by the university on legal fees, public relations contracts and a legal settlement as a result of the bogus concert.
Hubbard also has been indicted on securities fraud and forgery charges for a similar incident in October 2012 in Spartanburg, S.C. He was accused of taking $700,000 for an Alicia Keys concert.
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This update was written by Gregg K. Kakesako. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To …” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.
