Inside the Hollywood Real Estate ‘Boondoggle’ at the Center of Calvin Harris’ Fraud Claims 

In 2020, Philip Lawrence needed money. Though the songwriter had forged a palmy vocation collaborating with Bruno Mars, helium had depleted his finances and was astir to person his catalog seized. So, helium hired Thomas St. John, an amusement manufacture concern manager, to get things successful order.  

St. John helped stave disconnected seizure and negotiated the merchantability of Lawrence’s catalog for $90 million. But helium besides went into concern with the songwriter connected a Hollywood existent property task called CMNTY Culture Campus, primitively pitched by Lawrence’s lawyers to defer and trim superior gains taxes from the catalog sale. 

Now, CMNTY Culture is the taxable of bombshell fraud claims filed against St. John by different 1 of his clients, the EDM superstar Calvin Harris — portion St. John’s institution has filed for bankruptcy. Billboard dove into tribunal records to analyse however a radical of euphony professionals ended up progressive successful a existent property task and wherever the task and its assorted players basal now.  

FROM CATALOG SALE TO REAL ESTATE  

Lawrence was a subordinate of the Smeezingtons, the songwriting and accumulation trio down Mars’ aboriginal discography. Composed of Lawrence, Mars and Ari Levine, the radical besides worked connected hits similar Cee Lo Green’s “F— You” and Adele’s “All I Ask.” 

Though Lawrence ostensibly made bully royalties from his enactment with the Smeezingtons, helium didn’t negociate his finances precise well. Lawrence sunk wealth into the failed redevelopment of the famed signaling workplace the Record Plant and enactment his catalog up for collateral successful bid to instrumentality a $15 cardinal indebtedness from Hipgnosis. 

That indebtedness was coming up for maturity successful 2020, and Lawrence didn’t person the funds to repay. Facing the imaginable seizure and auction of his catalog from Hipgnosis, Lawrence hired St. John to negociate a much favorable catalog merchantability connected his ain terms.  

The archetypal happening St. John did was assistance Lawrence get a indebtedness to wage disconnected Hipgnosis. That indebtedness came from an improbable source: Tiësto, the Dutch DJ who was besides a lawsuit of St. John’s. Tiësto (Tijs Verwest) lent Lawrence $25 cardinal astatine an involvement complaint of 9.6%, according to a caller filing successful bankruptcy court.  

St. John past recovered a purchaser for Lawrence’s catalog: Tempo Music Investments, which was established successful 2019 and besides owns the catalogs of artists similar Wiz Khalifa and Florida Georgia Line. Tempo paid Lawrence $90 cardinal successful 2021, and it has since utilized its ownership of the Smeezingtons’ copyrights to writer Miley Cyrus for allegedly infringing the Mars deed “When I Was Your Man” connected her Grammy-winning opus “Flowers.” 

But $90 cardinal did not beryllium to beryllium the fiscal cure-all that Lawrence mightiness person hoped for. He owed important backmost taxes and ineligible fees; plus, $27 cardinal went to repay Tiësto with interest. Lawrence yet declared bankruptcy successful 2023, seemingly having spent what was near of the catalog proceeds connected aggregate homes, luxury covering and caller investments.  

One specified concern was CMNTY Culture. According to caller grounds from St. John successful bankruptcy court, Lawrence’s lawyers advised him that helium could lessen his superior gains taxes connected the catalog merchantability if immoderate of the proceeds were invested successful a alleged qualified accidental zone. Established arsenic portion of the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts, these taxation incentives let investors who make existent property successful economically distressed areas to defer and perchance trim their IRS liabilities.  

Lawrence’s attorneys recovered 4 parcels of onshore successful Hollywood, and the songwriter dreamt up a 460,000 square-foot signaling workplace and bureau abstraction analyzable astatine the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue. Lawrence wanted a spouse successful the task — and helium chose his concern manager, St. John.  

CALVIN HARRIS ENTERS THE PICTURE 

Lawrence began buying up these parcels and invested $3 cardinal successful Dun & Dun LL...