*Carlos Watson, Founder and CEO of Ozy Media, believes the fraud charges against him are racially motivated.
Watson is accused of defrauding “investors of tens of millions of dollars through fraudulent misrepresentations and impersonated media company executives during negotiations,” per the United States Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York, TheWrap reports.
Watson claims the case is nothing more than an attack against Black entrepreneurs.
“Sometimes people of color are warned not to think too big. That the color of your skin will limit what you can hope to accomplish,” Watson said in a video posted to X (formally Twitter). “Like a lot of black entrepreneurs, I had trouble often getting through the door or getting meetings that they took seriously.”
He added, “Our mistakes are being turned into crimes and we’re having people charge us in a gross and inappropriate way,” Watson added.
“And while I’m not a martyr,” Watson continued, “I do care about the next generation.”
A narrator says at the end of the video, “Carlos Watson is more than a defendant. He’s a symbol of systemic injustice, a wake-up call for those who choose to listen. Is it prosecution or persecution? You decide. Are there no white people committing crimes in Brooklyn?”
Federal authorities arrested and indicted Watson in February for securities fraud.
In 2021, a New York Times exposé on Ozy prompted the feds to take a look at the company’s business practices after it was discovered that Watson’s former partner, Samir Rao, impersonated an executive of Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube during a fundraising call with Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
As TheWrap reports, Ozy Media collapsed in 2021 after the Times report alleging that the company inflated its traffic and video viewership numbers. Rao ultimately pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
Watch:
???????? Don’t let the odds define you. We have to make our own way and advocate for justice.
???? I’m not saying this for sympathy. I’m saying this because it has to change. For me, for the next generation, for anyone who has ever felt held back because of the color of their skin.… pic.twitter.com/b5N9p1KGic
— Carlos Watson (@carloswatson) October 2, 2023
READ MORE: Carlos Watson Arrested – Ozy Media CEO Catches Fraud Charges
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