A Taiwan-based production company is pursuing legal action against a phony booking agency after a Nelly performance they paid the agency for never happened.

According to legal documents filed in Manhattan Federal Court on Friday (April 9), The Loop alleges it paid Capital Connections Agency a $40,000 fee to secure a performance by the St. Louis rapper, and it wasn’t until after the money had been wired that Durby Brandon, an agency representative, told them that Nelly would be a no-show. Brandon also allegedly denied receiving the funds initially, and then claimed that it arrived a day late so he was entitled to keep the money for breach of contract.

The civil suit, which refers to CCA as “a criminal enterprise,” also says that Brandon offered to replace Nelly with New York rapper Ja Rule for the December 31 bash, but The Loop had already secured Rule through his real representatives.

On its website, Capital Connections Agency claims to have the ability to book several celebrities for your events including Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Steven Spielberg, Russell Simmons, Alicia Keys, Dave Chappelle, Will Smith, and Halle Berry.

The Loop is suing CCA for the $40,000 booking fee and $250,000 in damages that resulted from Nelly’s “no-show,” according to the New York Daily News.