Swedish DJ Eric Prydz Accuses Business Manager of Stealing $269,000
Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz has filed a lawsuit against his longtime business manager Thomas St. John, accusing him of stealing $269,000 through unauthorized payments and fraudulent activities. The lawsuit, filed on October 28, 2025, in California state court, represents the latest in a series of high-profile legal battles involving St. John, who is also facing a $22.5 million fraud claim from Calvin Harris.
The case has exposed troubling allegations about financial misconduct in the entertainment industry, particularly within the tight-knit world of electronic music management. According to court documents, Prydz’s legal team, led by attorney Carla Wirtschafter of Reed Smith, has painted a damning picture of St. John as a financial advisor who systematically abused the trust of his high-profile clients.
The 13-Year Business Relationship That Went Wrong
From Trust to Betrayal…
Eric Prydz, born Eric Sheridan Prydz in 1976, is a Swedish DJ and music producer who has become one of the most respected names in electronic music. Known for hits like “Call On Me” and “Opus,” Prydz has built a career spanning over two decades. He operates under various aliases including Pryda and Cirez D, and owns three record labels: Pryda, Pryda Friends, and Mouseville.
The business relationship between Prydz and St. John began in 2012, when the DJ hired St. John to provide what was described as “standard financial services” including tax planning, tax filing, record keeping, and touring services. For over a decade, St. John served as a trusted advisor to the Swedish artist, handling crucial financial matters that allowed Prydz to focus on his music career.
According to the lawsuit, the relationship took a dark turn after St. John signed a new ‘Terms of Business’ agreement with Prydz in 2023. Following this new agreement, St. John allegedly began “paying himself for services, including services that were not within the Terms of Business and for matters for which he did not obtain Prydz’s approval or the approval of Prydz’s manager or lawyer.”
The Discovery of Unauthorised Payments
The fraudulent activities came to light in September 2025, when Prydz’s manager conducted a routine review of financial records and discovered shocking discrepancies. The investigation revealed that St. John had allegedly paid himself $219,000 in commissions for services he was “never authorized to perform” – this was on top of his regular 5% management fee.
Upon discovering these unauthorized payments, Prydz’s manager immediately confronted St. John and terminated the business relationship. However, what happened next would escalate the situation from a simple breach of contract to what Prydz’s lawyers describe as “extortion” and “malicious conduct.”
Hostage Situation
October 15 Tax Deadline Crisis…
As part of the termination process, St. John agreed to complete one final task for Prydz: filing a crucial tax return that was due on October 15, 2025. This should have been a routine matter for an experienced business manager. Instead, it became the centerpiece of what Prydz’s legal team characterizes as an extortion attempt.
According to the lawsuit, just before the tax deadline, St. John allegedly demanded an additional payment of $150,000 for what were described as “unapproved, out of scope” services. The timing was clearly strategic.
When Prydz refused to pay this additional demand, St. John allegedly failed to file the tax documents as promised. The lawsuit states: “As a direct result of TSJ’s malicious conduct to hold Prydz’s financial documents hostage, Prydz has been unable to complete and file the now past due tax forms.”
The Final Withdrawal…
St. John allegedly withdrew an additional $50,000 from Prydz’s accounts in October 2025 – after being terminated and specifically forbidden from making any further transactions. The lawsuit emphasises that this occurred after St. John had been told “in writing” that he was “no longer authorised to make any payments, or remove any funds from any of Prydz’s personal or business accounts.”
This final unauthorized withdrawal brought the total alleged theft to $269,000, forming the basis of Prydz’s lawsuit seeking full repayment plus punitive damages and legal costs.
Thomas St. John’s Response
The Business Manager Fights Back
On November 13, 2025, St. John’s representatives issued a strongly-worded statement defending their client and launching counter-accusations against Prydz. A spokesperson for St. John declared that Prydz’s claims “are wholly fabricated and will be exposed as such.”
The statement continued with a dramatic reversal of the narrative: “Mr. Prydz has taken a straightforward unpaid-fees dispute and attempted to inflate it into a dramatic legal narrative to evade his own mounting financial obligations.”
According to St. John’s team, not only were all services “thoroughly documented, expressly authorized and performed in full,” but they claim that Prydz actually owes St. John over $187,000 in unpaid fees. The representative stated: “The only party in breach here is Mr. Prydz, who still owes TSJ over $187,000. We will take all necessary legal action to recover every dollar owed.”
The Calvin Harris Connectionraud
Eric Prydz is not the first high-profile artist to accuse Thomas St. John of financial misconduct. In September 2025, just weeks before Prydz filed his lawsuit, Calvin Harris (real name Adam Wiles) initiated arbitration proceedings against St. John, alleging the business manager had stolen $22.5 million through what Harris’s lawyers called a “boondoggle” real estate project.
The project at the center of Harris’s claims is the CMNTY Culture Campus, a proposed 460,000-square-foot development at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Originally envisioned as a creative hub featuring recording studios, office spaces, and artist lounges, the project has undergone significant changes and has yet to break ground despite more than four years of development.
How Calvin Harris Got Involved
According to Harris’s arbitration filing, St. John had been his financial advisor for 13 years when, in 2023, the project ran low on funds. St. John allegedly approached Harris for an emergency cash infusion without providing detailed information about the project’s status or viability.
Harris claims he was essentially tricked into signing investment documents, resulting in:
- A $10 million loan to the project
- A $12.5 million equity investment
- $11.7 million allegedly being transferred to Dun & Dun LLC, an entity controlled by St. John
The loan was supposed to be repaid with interest by January 31, 2025, but Harris claims he has not received a single payment or distribution from his investment. His legal team describes the project as “at best, a complete boondoggle, and, at worst, a complete fraud.”
The Philip Lawrence Connection: How It All Began
The CMNTY Culture Campus story actually begins with Philip Lawrence, the Grammy-winning songwriter and producer best known for his work with Bruno Mars as part of The Smeezingtons production team. In 2020, Lawrence found himself in dire financial straits, facing potential seizure of his music catalog due to depleted finances.
Enter Thomas St. John, who helped Lawrence negotiate the $90 million sale of his catalog to Tempo Music Investments in 2021. The sale included Lawrence’s valuable Bruno Mars writing credits, but the windfall came with significant tax implications.
The Tax Strategy That Became a Controversy
To reduce capital gains taxes on the catalog sale, Lawrence’s lawyers advised investing in a qualified opportunity zone – a tax incentive established under the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts that allows investors to defer and potentially reduce IRS liabilities by developing real estate in economically distressed areas.
This tax strategy led to the creation of CMNTY Culture Campus, with Lawrence and St. John as partners. Lawrence invested $3 million in the venture through Dun & Dun LLC, one of various business entities established for the project.
The Tiësto Connection and Lawrence’s Bankruptcy
Tiësto (Tijs Verwest), who was also a client of St. John’s…. Before the catalog sale, Tiësto had lent Lawrence $25 million at an interest rate of 9.6% to help with his immediate financial needs. After the catalog sale, $27 million went to repay Tiësto with interest.
Despite the $90 million catalog sale, Lawrence’s financial troubles continued. He owed significant back taxes and legal fees, and by August 2023, he had declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Court documents from his divorce proceedings in February 2025 revealed he owes:
- $17,191,718 to the IRS
- $12,970,709 to the Franchise Tax Board
The Collapse of Thomas St. John Group…
The legal troubles surrounding Thomas St. John extend beyond his disputes with Prydz and Harris. In March 2025, the U.S. arm of his international business management firm, Thomas St. John Group, filed for bankruptcy amid multiple ongoing legal disputes.
According to bankruptcy filings, creditors list $466,000 in unpaid office rent in Los Angeles, though St. John’s representatives maintain this number is overinflated. The bankruptcy filing came as St. John faces potential liability not just from the Harris arbitration and Prydz lawsuit, but also scrutiny from the U.S. trustee overseeing Philip Lawrence’s bankruptcy case.
The Current State of CMNTY Culture Campus
Despite the grand ambitions and millions in investment, the CMNTY Culture Campus remains unbuilt. The project has:
- Defaulted on at least one loan, according to notices obtained by Billboard
- Undergone significant changes from its original vision as a creative hub
- Been reimagined as a predominantly residential development with 750 apartments across two towers
- Failed to break ground after more than four years of development
St. John continues to work with reputable partners including Lincoln Property Company and architectural firm HKS, and maintains the project is “very much viable and expected to have a $900+ million valuation when completed.”
The Broader Impact
Trust Issues in Entertainment Business Management
The allegations against Thomas St. John have sent ripples through the entertainment industry, particularly within the music-related community where many artists rely heavily on business managers to handle their complex financial affairs. The cases of both Prydz and Harris highlight the vulnerability of artists who entrust their finances to managers while focusing on their creative careers.
The situation underscores several critical issues:
- The need for regular financial audits and oversight
- The importance of clear contractual boundaries for services
- The risks of giving business managers too much autonomous control over accounts
- The potential for conflicts of interest when managers pursue side ventures
The Industry’s Financial Ecosystem
The electronic dance music industry has grown into a multi-billion dollar global business, with top DJs commanding fees of hundreds of thousands of dollars per performance. This financial success has created a complex ecosystem of managers, agents, lawyers, and financial advisors who help artists navigate everything from touring logistics to tax planning.
The St. John scandal reveals how this ecosystem can break down when trust is violated. Both Prydz and Harris had maintained long-term relationships with St. John – 13 years in Harris’s case and 12 years for Prydz – demonstrating how deeply embedded these business relationships can become.
Legal Implications and Industry Response
H3: The Legal Strategies at Play
Prydz’s decision to file in California state court rather than pursue arbitration (as Harris did) suggests different legal strategies at play. The lawsuit seeks:
- Full repayment of the $269,000 in alleged unauthorized payments
- Punitive damages for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty
- Recovery of all legal fees and court costs
- A court order for St. John to return all financial documents
The case raises important questions about fiduciary duty in the entertainment industry. As Prydz’s lawyers stated: “Thomas St. John is a professional financial advisor who is supposed to be trustworthy and reliable, and who should be acting in the best interests of his client.”
Industry Reforms and Safeguards
The scandal has prompted discussions within the music industry about implementing stronger safeguards:
- Enhanced Oversight Mechanisms: Regular third-party audits of business manager activities
- Clearer Service Agreements: More detailed contracts specifying exactly what services are covered
- Separation of Powers: Limiting single individuals’ access to client accounts
- Industry Standards: Development of best practices for entertainment business management
- Insurance Requirements: Mandatory bonding or insurance for business managers handling large sums
What This Means for Eric Prydz’s Career
The Path Forward
As the legal battle unfolds, Prydz has had to secure new financial management while dealing with the fallout from St. John’s alleged actions. The inability to access crucial financial documents has created additional challenges in transitioning to new management and ensuring compliance with tax obligations.
A Cautionary Tale for the Music Industry
The legal battles between Eric Prydz, Calvin Harris, and Thomas St. John represent more than isolated incidents of alleged financial misconduct. They reveal systemic vulnerabilities in how the entertainment industry manages artist finances and the potential for abuse when business managers operate with insufficient oversight.
The electronic dance music community watches closely as two of its biggest stars fight for justice and financial accountability. Whether St. John’s claims of innocence and counter-accusations will hold up in court remains to be seen, but the cases have already sparked important conversations about trust, transparency, and protection in artist-manager relationships.
For Eric Prydz, the journey from trusting a business manager for over a decade to accusing him of theft and fraud represents a painful betrayal. As his attorney stated, St. John “proved to be none of those things” that a trustworthy financial advisor should be, but rather “a fraud who not only abuses the trust of his clients, he takes money from them without their knowledge or authorization for his personal use and benefit.”
The music industry must learn from these cautionary tales to better protect artists and ensure that those entrusted with managing careers and finances truly act in their clients’ best interests.