Fat Joe is suing his Chicago-based accounting firm, claiming it was running a Ponzi scheme that misappropriated his funds and those of some MLB players, too.
According to legal documents, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Joe claims tax hub BDO, its longtime CPA Andre N. Chammas and his assistant Vanessa Rodriguez defrauded him in several ways.
According to the docs, Joe noticed some accounting irregularities after Rodriguez was fired in July … and he says things really didn’t add up when he started taking a closer look.
For starters, Joe says his wife Lorena‘s name was used to open AMEX accounts and make huge unauthorized purchases, including $40K in charges for Uber rides and UberEats deliveries, as well as tuition payments for Rodriguez’s daughter.
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Joe also claims he discovered one of his entities, Sneaker Addict Touring, was missing large deposits — to the tune of more than $300K. He says there were similar irregularities with other entities.
As for the Ponzi part of the alleged scheme — Joe claims the firm also defrauded Jose Iglesias of Colorado Rockies, Luis Garcia of the Houston Astros and former Chicago White Sox player Dayan Viciedo.
In the suit, he says AMEX accounts were opened under their names as well, and the money flowed between all of their accounts to keep the Ponzi going. The players are not plaintiffs in the suit, and Joe makes it clear he feels they were victims … just like himself.
He’s now suing for huge damages. We’ve reached out to BDO … so far, no word back.