Influencer who shot to fame by posting memes is accused of wasting $3.3m of $7.2m he raised to fly people out of Afghanistan, and $2.84m given to ex-con fraud suspect for flights that never materialized

An influencer who shot to fame by posting memes has been accused of wasting millions of dollars that were raised to help Afghan refugees flee from the Taliban on flights that never materialized.  

Instagram star 'Quentin Quarantino' - aka 26-year-old Tommy Marcus - helped raise $7.2 million to fund evacuation flights out of Kabul but has failed to charter a single flight with the donations, according to a report. 

An investigation by the Washington Post revealed that the mission dubbed Operation Flyaway has so far spent just $545,000 of the money it raised to help charter a flight with the expertise of a non-profit that successfully evacuated at-risk people from Afghanistan. 

Almost half of the funds - $3.3 million - raised by the influencer's followers - has been lost on flights that were booked, only to be canceled and not refunded.

Meanwhile, a staggering $2.84 million was given to ex-con who is currently under investigation by federal authorities for wire fraud and identification fraud. 

Instagram star 'Quentin Quarantino' - aka 26-year-old Tommy Marcus - helped raise $7.2 million to fund evacuation flights out of Kabul but has failed to charter a single flight with the donations, according to a report

New Zealand businessman Nicolas Steele struck the largest contract with Flyaway for four flights with his Kiwijet charter company that would have rescued 1,120 people. Kiwijet is yet to deliver on any of the flights, but insists they will take off. 

Steele is under federal investigation for allegedly taking payments for flights, canceling them and then creating fake wire transfer records in incidents unrelated to the Afghanistan evacuation. 

He has two previous aliases - Milton Cross and Nicholas Freeman - and spent eight months in jail in 1999 after stealing car from Hertz with fraudulent credit card, then shoplifting $400 worth of goods while on probation

In total, Operation Flyaway has spent more than $5.2 million of the $7.2 million on flights and ground operations and claims to have helped rescue 435 people.    

The influencer who shot to fame by posting memes. He has been accused of wasting millions of dollars that were raised to help Afghan refugees flee from the Taliban

Operation Flyaway was launched on August 17 when Marcus issued an appeal to his 690,000 followers to donate money to help fund evacuation flights. 

Marcus had been approached by Sheffield Ford, a retired Army major and CEO of North Carolina-based security contractor Raven Advisory, and Karen Kraft, a former Army Reserve officer and LA-based non-profit chair of Veterans in Media and Entertainment , who had decided to help Afghans and Western allies get out of the country.

They asked Marcus to join them and use his public platform to drum up support.

The appeal came one day after harrowing images and videos surfaced showing desperate Afghans clinging to the wheels of airplanes as they took off from Kabul airport in a bid to escape the Taliban which were closing in.   

Within less than two hours, the GoFundMe page had soared past its $500,000 target and - in less than two weeks - it had reached more than $7.2 million.  

Marcus insisted that every nickel and dime donated would go toward the cause.

'We want to be clear: EVERY SINGLE NICKEL of everything raised will go to either pay for flights, or support these humans through various non-profits,' he wrote on the GoFundMe page, adding that they will keep 'running flights until they tell us we can't anymore.' 

But the mission was racked with problems from the get-go.

Flyaway partnered with a more established non-profit International Women's Media Foundation and activists, including co-director the Afghan Women's Mission Azadeh Ghafari, who helped compile a list of the most at-risk people. 

The GoFundMe for Operation Flyaway is seen above. It raised more than $7.2 million in less than two weeks 

Within less than two hours, the GoFundMe page had soared past its $500,000 target, Marcus told his followers 

The sheer volume of people caused severe administration issues. Around 5,000 people were on the list and inquiries from people desperate to leave flooded in.

Flyaway also claims that GoFundMe did not release the funds in time leaving some flights unable to take off.

Two flights organized by IWMF at a cost of $1.6 million were scheduled for August 23 but they had to be canceled because there was no money to pay for them - meaning two fights of Afghans were not evacuated. 

Flyaway pledged to give any excess cash raised to that charity, and has since handed them $1.2 million. 

Flyaway was also due to contribute $545,000 to another non-profit that specialized in evacuations Sayara International for a plane it had arranged out of Kabul. 

The deal was that 200 people waiting at the airport for Flyaway's operation would be given seats on the plane too.

But again the funds weren't there and ex-Facebook exec Brandee Barker loaned Flyaway the cash - which it has since paid back.

Despite the last-ditch money, the plane left Kabul on August 24 near empty with 300 seats spare and only 51 taken - despite the hundreds of desperate Afghans waiting at the airport for a lifeline.

The appeal came one day after harrowing images and videos surfaced showing desperate Afghans clinging to the wheels of airplanes

Afghans cling to planes as they took off from Kabul airport August 16 in a bid to escape the Taliban

Insiders told the Post some people could not get through the crowds to the plane. 

Flyaway told the Post it has since lent Sayara $900,000 for two other flights, one of which has already taken evacuees out of the country.  

Meanwhile, two McDonnell Douglas DC-9 planes were contracted from Eastern Europe and flight crews were on standby, according to a budget document obtained by the Post.

But these planes were not insured to fly into Afghanistan so the plans fell apart and the planes failed to evacuate any people from the chaos-stricken country. 

It is not clear how much money changed hands for these canceled flights. 

Another deal to the sum of $1 million also failed to get off the ground. 

Global Supply and Logistics of Columbia was contracted to take two flights with 170 and 162 passengers between August 25 and 29 but the planes didn't make it to Kabul and the money was later refunded. 

Ford told the Post the mission came up against issues getting security clearance for flights to land with Afghan evacuees in the US and other countries. 

Then there was a $513,000 deal with Dubai-based airline Mayfair Jets to run one flight out of Kabul, which was also canceled. 

Marcus had been approached by Sheffield Ford , a retired Army major and CEO of North Carolina-based security contractor Raven Advisory, and Karen Kraft, a former Army Reserve officer and LA-based non-profit chair of Veterans in Media and Entertainment , who had decided to help Afghans and Western allies get out of the country

The owner of the airline, Ahmed Mahmoud, told the Post $170,000 was non-refundable as it was used on insurance. 

Another $440,000 has been spent on a 'ground facilitation team' of three Afghanistan experts and two experienced linguists including security contractors in Texas and Virginia. 

While many companies and non-profits working to help in the evacuation from Afghanistan came up against logistical challenges, Flyaway's choice of contractual partners also raises alarm bells.

Its biggest contract by far was with Kiwijet of Beverly Hills for four flights of a 280-seat Boeing 767. 

Kiwijet is thought to be run by Steele, the Post reported, with the search warrant for his fraud probe citing emails and bank accounts where he listed himself as its founder, president and chief executive.

Ex-Facebook exec Brandee Barker loaned Flyaway cash to get one flight off the ground

Steele is an ex-con who is under federal investigation for fraud and has been known to go by several names including Milton Cross and Nicholas Freeman in the past. 

According to the July 2020 search-warrant application, Steele is under federal investigation on suspicion of wire fraud, identification fraud and other offenses in Los Angeles and the US Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General.  

Steele allegedly defrauded other aviation companies when he ran a company named Steele Aviation.

He allegedly took payment of $154,000 from other aviation companies and defrauded them by canceling the flight and faking a wire transfer record. 

He also allegedly opened a bank account using a fake Social Security number and carried out unlicensed flights, according to the documents.  

A raid of his home then uncovered 22 cellphones, according to court documents.   

A judge gave prosecutors more time for the investigation in April.  

Marcus pictured on his Instagram. Operation Flyaway has so far spent just $545,000 of the funds to directly pay for charter flights that have evacuated Afghans

Marcus in an Instagram photo. A staggering $3.3 million was lost on canceled flights that were not refunded

Prior to this federal probe, Steele and his wife Lilia Stepanova Steele - who appeared on America's Got Talent - were ordered by a judge to pay $7.2 million to a former business partner in 2018 who had sued them claiming he had been falsely promised future profits. 

Back in 1999, Steele was sentenced to jail time for stealing a car from rental company Hertz and using a fake credit card to hire it. 

Steele's attorney Eric Bensamochan told the outlet Kiwijet's aircraft and crew are ready for the evacuation flights it is contracted for and 'expects a departure very soon.' 

Ford told the Post Steele's past did not concern Flyaway and he had been recommended by 'a trusted contractor.' 

Marcus told the Post that he understands the frustrations with not saving as many people as they hoped but insisted, 'people are alive because of Operation Flyaway'.

'So regardless of the chaos that has surrounded it, there's no regrets,' he said. 

The influencer added: 'Obviously, there's frustrations with not saving as many people as we'd hoped to by now.

'How can you put a price tag on the people we have saved?'