A New York judge granted Billy McFarland's request to withdraw his attorney from bankruptcy proceedings on Thursday, meaning the Fyre Fest founder will represent himself moving forward, Billboard reported. In a handwritten letter to Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn dated Oct. 1, McFarland asked for permission to remove his attorney, Tallen Todorovich, and his firm, the Law Office of Tallen PC, from the failed festival's chapter 7 bankruptcy case. McFarland is currently serving a six-year prison sentence in connection with Fyre at the Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville, and because of this he noted he "cannot afford to pay Todorovich." Trustee Greg Messer is overseeing the Fyre Fest bankruptcy and has filed more than a dozen lawsuits in connection with about $16 million fraudulently raised and spent by McFarland. Subjects of those lawsuits include American Express, modeling agency DNA and four talent agencies, among others. Based on McFarland's letter to Judge Glenn and the judge's order approving his attorney's removal, McFarland seems likely to accept whatever amount the trustee determines the creditors lost. He will be responsible for that amount, minus what monies the trustee can claw back from those who profited off the festival.
