50 Cent and renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump have joined forces to bring the fight for more Black ownership in the liquor industry to Congress.
The Sire Spirits mogul and high-powered lawyer visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday (June 5) to meet with Congressional leaders to advocate for more minority representation in the multibillion dollar luxury spirits business.
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According to a press release, the discussion will focus on “the Black wealth agenda, the widening of the wealth gap and corporate America’s marginalization of Black-owned companies.”
Crump, who is now on 50’s legal team in his battle against business partners Beam Suntory and has previously represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, said ahead of their visit: “I am pleased to join the legal team representing Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, as he is one of the most successful Black entrepreneurs in America, and even he is not immune to the bias treatment that faces minority business owners everyday.
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“He has been relentless in his fight to seek fairness and justice over the way he was treated by a corporate giant in the luxury spirits industry. Mr. Jackson’s journey has been a testament to how much a determined individual can succeed through hard work and vision, and yet he still must contend with the oppression that comes from being a minority business owner.”
“We are committed to helping Mr. Jackson demonstrate the true ‘power’ of not just his television acumen, but also the power of the consumers to make corporate America allow a seat at the table for hard-working Black entrepreneurs,” Crump added.
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Ben Crump to Meet on Capitol Hill with Congressional Leaders https://t.co/eVu9evIbKu
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) June 5, 2024
A surprise appearance at the Capitol.
50 Cent met with House members from both sides of the aisle.
@50cent is there to boost opportunities for Black entrepreneurs and to promote more Black inclusion in the liquor and music industries.
CC: @AriMelber pic.twitter.com/mZnDsCy8OH
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 5, 2024
.@50cent is at the Capitol with attorney Ben Crump to lobby with the Congressional Black Caucus for equal opportunity for Black entrepreneurs.
Crump: “The message to Black entrepreneurs is we have to band together and lift each other up as we climb like Mr. Jackson is doing.… pic.twitter.com/GKAF7XaGJy
— Michael Jones (@bymichaeljones) June 5, 2024
Pelosi and 50 Cent pic.twitter.com/YNmANkYPM4
— Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) June 5, 2024
50 Cent has been embroiled in a bitter legal battle with Beam Suntory over allegations that senior employees of the company embezzled millions of dollars from his Sire Spirits brand through unpaid invoices.
Suntory is one of the world’s largest spirits companies and owns Branson Cognac, which distributes Sire Spirits.
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The two parties headed to mediation last summer but it appears a resolution has yet to be reached as the G-Unit rapper has continued to attack the drinks giant on social media.
In a scathing Instagram post in March, Fif warned Beam Suntory that he will make them “pay for what they did.”
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“These big companies think they can get away with anything. It has cost me millions in legal fees. They are gonna find out I’m not the one you want to play with,” he wrote.
He added: “I’m not the guy you want to get started. In nicest way I’m gonna need my money by Monday.”
Beam Suntory has denied the accusations, saying: “It had no involvement in or knowledge of the fraudulent activity alleged in the complaint, and any allegation to the contrary has no basis in fact.
“It is undisputed that we honored all prior obligations to Mr. Jackson and Sire Spirits, and it is very unfortunate that the parties involved continue to misrepresent the facts and misdirect blame in an attempt to recover fees and damages.”
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Sire Spirits attorney Craig Weiner refuted this statement, responding: “Because these illicit commissions were baked into the price of the product, Sire Spirits overpaid on taxes, overpaid on customs and duties, overpaid on insurance, which are marked towards the value of the product.
“Beam Suntory’s role here is extraordinarily troubling. Beam Suntory’s Chief Commercial Officer, a gentleman by the name of Julious Grant, acting as an employee, as an officer of the company, acting under the actual and parent authority of Beam Suntory facilitated the entire fraud as we plead in our complaint.”
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Weiner added: “I question where was your compliance program? How did they get away with Mr. Grant receiving payments under the scheme for years and years. Where were you? How did you allow this to happen? This is a heavily regulated industry.”
