50 Cent Calls for Government Regulation in Spirits Industry After Suicide Threat Amid $6M Lawsuit
50 Cent is urging the government to regulate the spirits business following a suicide threat from Michael Caruso, one of the individuals he has accused of defrauding him in a $6 million lawsuit against Beam Suntory.
As previously reported, 50 Cent and his alcohol brand, Sire Spirits, entered mediation with Beam Suntory, accusing their agents of an embezzlement scheme involving millions in unpaid invoices. The lawsuit specifically names former Beam employees Julious Grant, Michael Caruso, and his wife Gina Caruso, along with Mitchell Green, an associate hired to represent Sire Spirits. 50 Cent alleges that they were involved in an elaborate embezzlement scheme.
Green has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and is awaiting sentencing. However, last week, AllHipHop reported that Caruso threatened suicide instead of facing legal consequences for his alleged role. “During a call organized by Green, while everyone was listening, Caruso admitted to stealing, began sobbing, and threatened to commit suicide if Green admitted the scam to 50 Cent,” the article stated.
50 Cent shared a screenshot of the article on his Instagram on June 30, writing: “Go read this article on @allhiphopcom. Beam Suntory changed their name to @suntoryglobalspirits. It is a $3.2 billion-a-year company, and they are doing this kind of shit. The government needs to step in and regulate the spirits business. Black-owned companies cannot make it if they don’t have the $70 million I had to put into the business.”
Caruso’s suicide threat occurred before the lawsuit was officially filed. Since then, he has countersued 50 Cent, claiming he was cut out of the deal with Sire Spirits without proper compensation or his promised ownership stake. The rapper later taunted Caruso in an Instagram clip, dismissing him as a snitch in an unrelated case. The video is from a documentary about the infamous Limelight nightclub in New York City, owned by suspected drug kingpin Peter Gatien. Reports indicate Caruso was an informant for the FBI in the case, betraying his friend and employer.
50 Cent captioned the video: “This Fool been snitching since 1942 Don Julio! [grinning face emojis] you know he gonna tell on everybody. LOL @beamsuntory is fucked. They were paying this guy Michael Caruso a half a million a year, and him and his partner Julious Grant put this together. @beamsuntory @jimbeamofficial This is gonna make a great TV show.”
While Caruso denied the snitching allegations, MTV revealed that Caruso did become a federal informant back in 2000.
