Man Who Posed as Sony Music Employee Sentenced to Six and a Half Years

Meceo Ray McEaddy, who also goes by Ray Annes, has been sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison for posing as a marketing director at Sony Music Entertainment and stealing more than $1 million. U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods imposed the sentence in Manhattan on 4 November, according to Billboard.

According to the same report, McEaddy began posing as a senior employee at Sony Music Latin in 2018. He convinced 20 victims to wire a total of $1.2 million, which means sending money electronically, for concert slots that did not exist. The victims believed they were arranging live shows for artists.

McEaddy had a record before the Sony scheme. He served four years in state prison for defrauding investors with false promises that he could book Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Prosecutors said he started the Sony impersonation almost as soon as he left jail in 2017. He has five other prior convictions, including reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and posing as law enforcement.

A federal grand jury indicted him in May 2025. Months later he pleaded guilty to fraud and to aggravated identity theft, which is using another person's identity to commit a crime. Prosecutors said that as part of the scheme he forged the signature of a top musician. They asked for a seven-year sentence. His lawyer asked for three years.

The judge also ordered him to serve three years of supervised release, a period of court oversight after a prison term ends. He must return $1.2 million in fraud earnings.

The case shows how a convincing email signature and a famous name can be used to reach people who are trying to book artists. Concert promoters and managers often handle large sums quickly, and that speed is part of what the scheme exploited. The sentence closes the criminal case against McEaddy, while the restitution order sets out the money he has been told to repay.