Fyre Festival Organiser Sentenced To Prison

Billy McFarland, the organiser behind last year's ill-fated Fyre Festival, has been sentenced to six years in prison. 

As TMZ reports, McFarland was sentenced in New York by a federal judge after pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud.

The controversial Bahamas-based "luxury" event, where punters paid as much as $12,000 for tickets, was scheduled to go down across two weekends in April and May in 2017 with headliners blink-182 and more.

However, it was cancelled shortly after kicking off as the set-up had not been completed.

McFarland was accused of presenting investors with fake documents that convinced some to contribute more than US$1 million.

"My intention and effort was directed to organising a legitimate festival," McFarland told US District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald.

"In an attempt to raise what I thought were needed funds, I lied to investors about various aspects of Fyre Media and my personal finances."

McFarland also reportedly budgeted for a $US160,000 yacht for blink-182 (who eventually pulled out of the gig due to concerns about the festival), but did not budget for the festival punters. 

The event reportedly served out cold cheese sandwiches and provided partially-constructed tents.

Following the six-year sentence, McFarland will serve three years of supervised release.