Music

Former Gogol Bordello guitarist suing singer Eugene Hutz for $950,000

by Tyler Munro

via Facebook

Eugene Hutz is the lifeblood of Gogol Bordello, so much so that often times new fans of the band think the band name is actually his own, but it seems like their might be trouble in gypsy-punk paradise with word that their old guitarist is suing their eccentric singer on behalf of the band.

Billboard says Hutz is being sued by ex-guitarist Oren Kaplan “on behalf of himself and the group’s corporate entity” after “absconded with approximately half a million dollars from the bank accounts of the Gogol Bordello entities and deposited those funds into the accounts of new companies which are wholly owned by Hutz.”

Basically, they’re accusing him of money laundering.

The suit alleges that Hutz has been paying himself with the transfers, masking them as loans and allegedly shutting the rest of the band out of their own accounts.

Kaplan’s suit also says that Hutz feigned sympathy for him when his mother died in an attempt to shut him out of a promotional deal with Coca-Cola, calling the entire thing a “ruse.”

According to the Courthouse News Service, Kaplan is seeking $950,000 in damages.