A federal investigation reveals that music artists Lil Wayne and Chris Brown misused millions from COVID-19 pandemic relief funds intended for the live entertainment industry, spending the money on luxury items and personal expenses.

Business Insider's investigation uncovered thousands of pages of accounting documents showing how these artists diverted funds from the Shuttered Venues grant program, which was meant to support struggling entertainment businesses during the pandemic.

Key findings include:

• Lil Wayne spent millions on private jet flights, luxury brand clothing, and over $175,000 on his own brands
• Chris Brown received $10 million through his CBE Touring company, with $5.1 million going directly to himself
• Brown charged nearly $80,000 for his birthday party to taxpayers
• Lil Wayne paid $5.3 million to managers, accountants, and attorneys - 13 times more than what his touring crew received
• Over $2 million of Wayne's grant went to settle a debt with his former manager

The program allowed artists to receive up to $10 million for "ordinary necessary" business expenses, provided they could prove a 25% revenue drop between 2019 and 2020. Some artists exploited the "owner compensation" category, which allowed them to pay themselves amounts equivalent to their 2019 earnings.

Former U.S. controller general David Walker questioned the legality of these expenditures, while Senator Gary Peters called it "an abuse of federal resources."

The Small Business Administration reports recovering $43 million in wrongfully awarded grants, though $6 billion remains under review. Despite creating a team to recover misused funds, records indicate no staff had been assigned to it as of September.

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