HOLLYWOOD, CA – SEPTEMBER 27: Recording artist Third World Don arrives at T-Boz Unplugged at Avalon on September 27, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Lilly Lawrence/Getty Images)
A South Florida rapper is facing charges after authorities said he turned to theft, fraud and forgery to help fund his music career.
Michael Anthony Barnett, who raps under the names Third World Don and Mike Beatz, was arrested Monday on one count of grand theft, one count of organized scheme to defraud, conspiracy to commit organized scheme to defraud and four felony counts of uttering forged checks, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
Investigators said the 32-year-old Barnett, a native of Jamaica who has been living in Broward County, used identity theft and forgery to assume control of a money market account and a line of credit.
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
The fraudulent activities helped finance his career in the last few years, FDLE officials said.
Barnett was booked into the Broward County Jail, where he was being held on $110,000 bond Tuesday, records showed. Attorney information wasn't available.
Third World Don has over 10,000 followers on Soundcloud and has more than 68,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. He's scored modest hits with the songs "Ray Charles" in 2017 and "Blessed" in 2018.
