A Miami judge ordered Birdman to pay an ex-employee $1 million. But where’s the money?
A Miami-Dade circuit judge ruled that rap mogul Bryan “Birdman” Williams must pay an ex-employee roughly $1 million, according to court documents.
There’s just one problem: Court records show the Cash Money Records CEO closed seven bank accounts two days after the default judgment.
Per Birdman’s lawyer Alan Soven, neither he nor his client had any knowledge of this case. Soven also said that his client doesn’t even know the man claiming to be a former employee.
Nicolas Jose Penzo sued Williams in April 2018, alleging unpaid wages, the complaint says. Penzo, whom Williams hired as a property manager, worked for the record executive from 2015 to 2017.
In August, a judge ruled that Williams must pay Penzo $1,069,876 plus interest. After more than a month without payment, records show Penzo subpoenaed Citibank to seize the New Orleans native’s accounts.
Birdman once bragged he was “richer than the richest.” But new documents, filed Wednesday, paint a different picture of Williams’ financial situation.
“CITIBANK N.A. has no tangible or intangible personal property of the defendant in its possession or control,” the document reads.
While closing accounts might be a new wrinkle, the essence of these allegations is not. Birdman has a history of stiffing his business associates. Just ask Lil Wayne or J. Prince.
With a significant portion of his money going to his legal defense, it makes sense that Birdman might have some cash flow issues. That, however, doesn’t bode well for Penzo.
This story was originally published October 11, 2019 at 4:19 PM.
