Louisiana Men Convicted After Secretly Taking Out Millions in Life Insurance Policies on Aspiring Rappers

In a verdict that has stunned the local music community, two Louisiana men were found guilty of secretly securing life and accidental death insurance policies on aspiring music artists across eight different companies. After just a three-day trial, a federal jury convicted Calvin Kemp and Chevez Robillard of aggravated identity theft for targeting new rappers for hefty insurance payouts—with at least one policy tied directly to a cold case murder.

To fund the devious scheme, Chevez Robillard, 33, and Calvin Kemp, 60, set up a business checking account for Vision Investment Group, which was then used to pay the policy premiums, according to WAFB 9.

The duo, according to prosecutors, had asked numerous insurance providers to open new life insurance plans or increase the coverage amount for existing plans for unsuspecting rap artists, identified in the indictment only as “Individual A,” “Individual B,” and “Individual C.” 

Kemp and Robillard impersonated the victims and fraudulently obtained nine insurance policies worth $4.325 million during the application process, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Louisiana, said.

Kemp called himself the “CEO of a record label”and a “ghost writer” who was “seeking insurance policies on behalf of the music artists whom he represented” to insurance companies, including Fidelity Life, Assurity Life, Gerber Life and Mutual of Omaha Insurance, amongst others.

Related: Black Louisiana Pastor Found Guilty of Stealing $340K from His Congregation

They reportedly secured $1.9 million in life insurance coverage on “Individual A” with four separate insurance companies, while they attempted to gain more than $1 million on “Individual B” through eFinancial. They also secured more than $2.425 million in life insurance coverage on “Individual C” from Ameritas Life, CMFG Life, Lumico Life, Mutual of Omaha Insurance and SBLI Life, per WAFB 9.

Perhaps the most brazen element of the entire scheme followed the fatal shooting of Duquares Smith, when two insurance providers refused to issue the multi-million dollar payouts. Undeterred, Robillard, who had listed himself as the primary beneficiary on all the policies, filed civil lawsuits against both companies to demand the money, court records show.

Just before 11:15 a.m. on December 3, 2022, Baton Rouge police found Duquares Smith with a gunshot wound to the temple, neck, and behind the ear on the 2300 block of Sherwood Street, WAFB 9 reported at the time.

While investigators initially struggled to find answers in Smith’s death and the investigation went cold, detectives eventually uncovered a paper trail that pointed straight to suspicions of financial foul play. Prosecutors closed in on Kemp and Robillard, who now stand accused of taking out multiple life insurance policies on Smith months before his death between July and November 2022.

One of the lawsuits Robillard filed named him the president of VISION INVESTMENT GROUP, who operated Hand of Jefe Entertainment, where Smith was reportedly employed as a “contract song and lyric writer.”

According to the indictment, when Kemp contacted eFinancial Life Insurance to open a policy, he specifically asked whether a policy would cover murder.

“If you think this person does not have family or you think this person does not have anybody, I can understand. But how did you think you were going to get a death certificate or collect when his mom and his family are still living? I couldn’t understand that part. I just needed to see him,” said Smith’s mother, Latina Maxie, during an April hearing where she saw Kemp for the first time face to face.

According to Smith’s mother, her son was going through a tough stretch and believed Kemp and Robillard were offering him housing and support. Speaking to WAFB 9, she shared the heartbreaking regret of wishing she would have paid more attention to the company he kept.

“It hurts me very much,” Maxie said. “I have pictures of my son. I tell him how sorry I am that this had to happen. You trusted the wrong people. I’m sorry. That is all I can say every day. It’s that I am really sorry.”

Both men now face federal prison sentences following their convictions for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft—up to 26 years for Kemp and 24 years for Robillard. Neither man has been charged in connection with Smith’s murder.