A financial dispute involving mogul Jay-Z has surfaced in federal court filings tied to the whiskey company Uncle Nearest and agricultural lender Farm Credit Mid-America.
Documents filed in March 2026 reference a $20 million loan issued through Jay-Z’s venture capital firm, MarcyPen. The investment group launched in late 2024 and includes Jay-Z along with business partners Jay Brown, Larry Marcus, Robbie Robinson and D’Rita Robinson.
According to court records, MarcyPen provided the funding to Uncle Nearest during a period of financial strain for the whiskey brand. However, Farm Credit Mid-America claims the company failed to disclose the true source of the loan.
The lender alleges that Uncle Nearest founder Fawn Weaver told the bank the $20 million came from Grant Sidney, a company she controls. The bank contends the money instead originated from MarcyPen.
Jay-Z’s MarcyPen Named In Uncle Nearest Court Case Involving $20M Loan
In court filings, attorneys for the lender described the transfer as intentional. “Ms. Weaver, who exercises complete control over Uncle Nearest and Grant Sidney, moved the proceeds from Uncle Nearest to Grant Sidney to make sure that $20 million coming in could not be snatched by FCMA,” the bank wrote.
The disagreement forms part of a broader legal conflict between the whiskey brand and its lender. Farm Credit Mid-America filed a lawsuit in July 2025 alleging Uncle Nearest owed more than $108 million across several loans.
The bank also claims the company submitted inaccurate inventory reports involving its whiskey barrels. According to the lender, those reports overstated the value of stored barrels by approximately $21 million. Attorneys further allege the company sold barrels to cover other financial obligations.
A federal judge appointed a receiver for Uncle Nearest in August 2025 after repeated loan defaults. Court records indicate the company defaulted on loan agreements about twenty times. The receiver and the bank now estimate the brand’s total debt could approach $200 million.
Weaver and her legal team dispute those claims and maintain the company remains financially viable.
Uncle Nearest also rejects the allegations tied to the MarcyPen transaction. In a filing, attorneys for the company stated, “No fraud by Grant Sidney has been alleged with the particularity required for a federal pleading.”
