DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) — Visit Dothan CEO Aaron McCreight is expected to be sentenced in a federal court on Thursday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Prosecutors believe he was the leader of a bank fraud scheme that lost a music festival and a community millions.
Newbo Evolve was supposed to bring people far and wide to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the three-day music festival in August of 2018.
With headliners of Kelly Clarkson and Maroon 5 and nearly 100 vendors.
The CEO of Go Cedar Rapids, the organization putting on the event, Aaron McCreight told his board of directors that the festival would sell nearly 11,000 tickets and 4,000 three-day passes
It did not meet that goal and “flopped”.
Newbo Evolve lost more than $2 million causing Go Cedar Rapids to go under.
Forcing McCreight to find another job. This time in Dothan as CEO of Visit Dothan.
Before the time of the festival, McCreight was accused of making the numbers look better than they actually were making it seem like they can make this happen they just need more money.
At first, requesting $1.5 million from a bank but right before the event requested nearly $2.2 million in funds to put into the festival.
Vendors lost nearly $800,000 and a bank still needed $1.5 million.
Records show in 2021 McCreight, while he was CEO of Visit Dothan was interviewed by FBI agents they say McCreight lied to them saying the promoter of the festival gave him incorrect numbers of ticket sales and that the numbers were they were misinterpreted by his board of directors.
McCreight remains as the CEO of Visit Dothan at least until Thursday. A group that has seen a $10 million tourism bump over the last 5 years.
When McCreight plead guilty last year, he kept his job, and city leaders were behind him. They liked how hard he worked for the city and was even compared to the Bryce Young of the industry, meaning a once-in-a-lifetime hire and one of the best in the industry, but if he is sentenced to prison on Thursday.
McCreight will be out of a job in Dothan. He could be facing nearly 30 years in prison and be ordered to pay a fine of $1 million.
