The PPP Loan scam game has been revealing people left and right. Most surprising has been the celebrities that have fallen victim to the “easy” money. Pretty Ricky alumni Baby Blue is the latest to get in trouble for his illegal use of the funds geared towards helping small businesses to recover following the pandemic. According to Baby Blue, the media is trying to paint him out to be a crook. He wants his fans to know that PPP Loans are being used by everyone and is happy to name names too. He took to Twitter to try and expose other celebrities amidst his recent sentencing.
Baby Blue’s real name is Diamond Smith. He is 1/4th of ’00s R&B/Hip-hop group Pretty Ricky best known for their hits “Grind On Me” and “Hotline.” Smith has been keeping busy in recent years thanks to his addition to the Love and Hip-Hop: Miami family and a resurgence of his group thanks to Omarion and Bow Wow taking them out on tour.
On Thursday, December 16th, it was revealed that Baby Blue would be serving 20 months in prison in connection to PPP Loan fraud. This was less than a year after it was revealed that he’d submitted an application requesting financial assistance. He used false information to qualify and was rewarded funds allotted explicitly for small businesses as part of America’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Blue and his co-conspirators applied for over $24 million in aid, of which he was rewarded almost $500k for his companies Throwbackjersey.com LLC and Blue Star Records LLC. Instead of using the money for the companies, he spends it on his lavish lifestyle, including a Ferrari and expensive gambling visits to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Florida.
Diamond Smith is not happy with the way his story is being reported in the media and wants to let fans know that he is not the only one benefitting from the PPP Loan program. Today he tweeted, “Lol Yall wannna see some AMAZING [stuff]… Google: “Celebrities that got PPP Loans” Since yall think I’m the only one! WAKEUP & STAY WOKE!”
Commenters quoted articles reporting that Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and the church of Scientology have all taken out PPP loans with no repercussions. Others reminded them that those people probably are not in trouble because they used the money to actually help their companies. Others called out Baby Blue for “dry snitching” and trying to tell on other people. “Somebody hit a nerve huh? Dry snitching ahhh (laughing crying emoji)” Another said “Snitchin cool now huh? Smh.”
Blue did not like these claims and tweeted later in the day that he “ain’t no snitch!” A fan responded, “But that’s exactly what you did. Directed attention to others who didn’t get caught like you did.” Baby Blue delivered his final response claiming he is planning to make a book and a movie about the entire situation.
The media played with my name and put me as the head of a conspiracy without getting the facts! Painted me to be a thief and I ain’t ever steal a penny in my life! Yall wanna lower my character to a Scammer! There’s more to the story and Ima write a book and make a movie bout it!
— Blue Hefner (@BabyBlueWhoaaaa) December 27, 2021
