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Angels Among Teams Defrauded by Yogurt Company: The Athletic
TL;DR
The Los Angeles Angels are among several teams defrauded by the French frozen yogurt brand Cremily, which allegedly misled partners about its financial dealings. The Angels were promised over $3.45 million in a five-year deal.
Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno watches game action during a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
In a new report by The Athletic, the Los Angeles Angels were named as one of multiple victims of an allegedly fraudulent scheme by the French frozen yogurt brand, Cremily.
Cremily is advertised as a healthy, lactose-free frozen yogurt brand that donates all its proceeds to âempowering women and girls globally.â The brand had partnerships with the Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and more, according to The Athletic.
The Halos were reportedly guaranteed more than $3.45 million over five years.
The Athletic spoke to more than 20 former Cremily employees for the report. One former employee said the company was not creating any revenue when it made the deal with the Angels.
âSix months in was when I knew, wait a minute,â the former Cremily employee said. âThese costs donât make sense. The finances donât make sense. Then comes that multimillion dollar deal with the Angel Stadium, and we all just sat there like, âHold on. We havenât earned a single dime of revenue. And yet we just went and spent how much on a contract?ââ
At the center of the scam is Cremily CEO, Steven Delaportas. Delaportas has been involved in several lawsuits for similar activity with other companies, including a lawsuit from Madison Square Garden in 2016.
Delaportas did not respond to six different messages from The Athletic for comments.
Angels Filed A Lawsuit Against Cremily
The Angels and Diamondbacks have both filed lawsuits against the company for failing to pay for the advertising the teams provided at their stadiums.
The Angels are reportedly owed $401,700, while the Diamondbacks are owed $358,053.78.
In addition to failing to pay the Angels, Los Angeles argued that Cremily was attempting to pass third-party ice cream brands as their own. One former Cremily marketing employee told The Athletic that he was asked to create Cremily labels to place on generic ice cream.
Cremily is now dissolved, leaving many former employees searching for new jobs. Meanwhile, Delaportas became the new CEO for Clean Bottling Co. and entered an agreement with Alkaline88Â in late 2023 to produce products for the brand.
Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Q&A
What teams were involved in the Cremily fraud scheme?
The teams involved include the Los Angeles Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics.
How much money were the Los Angeles Angels guaranteed by Cremily?
The Los Angeles Angels were guaranteed more than $3.45 million over a five-year period.
What does Cremily claim to promote with its frozen yogurt brand?
Cremily claims to promote a healthy, lactose-free frozen yogurt and donates all its proceeds to empowering women and girls globally.
