Ex Jets Wide Receiver Josh Bellamy Given 3-Year Prison Sentence

Ex-New York Jets wide receiver Josh Bellamy was sentenced to more than three years in prison for illegally acquiring over $1.2 million in pandemic relief money.

Initially Josh received a $1 million dollar loan from Paycheck Protection Program(PPP) for his company, Drip Entertainment. According to court documents he spend those funds on several personal items including jewelry and a stay at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Bank records indicate that Josh spend over $60K at that Hotel and Casino and then spent tens of thousands on designer brands like Gucci, personal travel , and custom jewelry pieces.

The former wide receiver admitted that in addition to those purchases he had to pay over $300K to an “alleged co-conspirator”, James Stote for orchestrating the whole plan including preparing , assisting and ultimately submitting fraudulent loan paperwork.

Stote was originally charged with wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud on June 24, 2020. As of this week, his case remains pending.