Chicago man sentenced to prison for music concert schemes

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Chicago man has been sentenced in Iowa to federal prison for running a scheme in which he collected deposits and money for other expenses related to music concerts that never took place. Federal prosecutors in Cedar Rapids say 43-year-old Romel Murphy was sentenced last week to more than six years in federal prison after pleading guilty in January to one count of wire fraud. There is no parole in the federal system. Investigators say Murphy used his talent booking agency to solicit music venues to send him money to secure artists’ performances, but instead kept the money for himself. Prosecutors say Murphy defrauded his victims of more than $410,000 from November 2017 through March 2019.