What is Baby Blue's net worth? Pretty Ricky rapper was arrested for pocketing $24 million Covid-19 relief funds
Rapper Baby Blue from the R&B and hip-hop group Pretty Ricky was attacked by two armed robbers at the Sparez Bowling Alley in Florida on Wednesday, April 21. He was shot and critically injured in the encounter with the robbers and is presently reportedly "fighting for his life" at a Miami hospital. A video shared by Hollywood Unlocked showed Baby Blue lying on the floor in a pool of blood, as his team surrounds him trying to help.
The rapper, who also goes by the names Diamond Blue Smith and Baby Blue Whoaaaa, used to be on the VH1 show 'Love & Hip Hop: Miami'. In October 2020, he was arrested for pilfering over $24M from coronavirus relief funds. He even bought luxury items, including a $96,000 Ferrari, using the money. Read on to find out more about the Pretty Ricky rapper's wealth, assets and controversy.
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Who is Baby Blue? Hip-hop duo Pretty Ricky's rapper fighting for life after being shot in Miami
What is Baby Blue's net worth?
Baby Blue shot to fame primarily as the founder member of the Miami-based group Pretty Ricky. Their song 'Grind With Me' became a platinum-certified single. It also reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Some of their other hits include 'On the Hotline' and the albums 'Bluestars' and 'Late night Special'. The group originally featured Blue whose birth name is Ala Diamond Smith and his brother Spectacular Smith plus Corey Mathis who goes by the stage name Slick 'Em, and Marcus Cooper (Pleasure P).
Baby Blue aka Diamond Smith is the son of Joseph 'Blue' Smith, who is the CEO of Bluestar Entertainment. He has time and again contributed to managing Baby Blue's career, which took a hiatus in 2011. In 2019, Pretty Ricky returned from the hiatus with a Millenium Tour. Aside from his musical career, Baby Blue has also been a part of the hit reality show 'Love and Hip-Hop: Miami' since 2018.
According to The Sun, 36-year-old Baby Blue reportedly has an estimated net worth of $10M. The success of Pretty Ricky has helped him amass the massive fortune.
Baby Blue's Covid-19 relief money fraud
According to a press release issued by the Department of Justice, Baby Blue conspired with Tonye C Johnson from Pennsylvania to commit the fraud. They faced charges of wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Baby Blue's Ferrari was also seized following his arrest in October 2020.
Together with Johnson, Baby Blue conspired to pocket millions through a scam with the Covid-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). He falsified documents to obtain around $427,000 through his company ThrowbackJersey. With the huge amount of money, the rapper managed to buy a $96,000 Ferrari as well as spend $2,290 on Versace goods. He also spent an additional $27,000 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.