Carlos Watson
CountryUnited States 
GenderMale
BirthdaySept. 29, 1969
BiographyCarlos Watson (born September 29, 1969) is an American entrepreneur, journalist, television host, and convicted felon. A former contributor on MSNBC, he was the CEO of the media company Ozy Media, which he co-founded in 2013.
As an entrepreneur, Watson co-founded Achieva College Prep Service in 2002, which he later sold to The Washington Post and Kaplan. Ozy Media raised over $70 million from investors. Watson was the host of The Carlos Watson Show, a daily interview show on YouTube.
In September 2021, Watson attracted public controversy in the wake of a New York Times article by Ben Smith alleging that Ozy had made significant misrepresentations to investors. Following the incident, Watson resigned from the board of NPR on October 1, 2021. Later that day, Ozy's board of directors announced that it was shutting the company down. Watson, in an October 4 interview on Today, said that Ozy would remain in operation.
On February 23, 2023, Watson was arrested on fraud charges. Ozy shut down on March 1, 2023, as a result of charges against Watson and other executives. On July 16, 2024, Watson was convicted in New York of repeatedly lying to investors about the financial health of Ozy Media. He was subsequently sentenced to ten years in prison, but just hours before he was due to report to Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc II, President Donald Trump commuted Watson's sentence in March 2025.
Biography from the Wikipedia article Carlos Watson (journalist). Licensed under CC-BY-SA. Full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
As an entrepreneur, Watson co-founded Achieva College Prep Service in 2002, which he later sold to The Washington Post and Kaplan. Ozy Media raised over $70 million from investors. Watson was the host of The Carlos Watson Show, a daily interview show on YouTube.
In September 2021, Watson attracted public controversy in the wake of a New York Times article by Ben Smith alleging that Ozy had made significant misrepresentations to investors. Following the incident, Watson resigned from the board of NPR on October 1, 2021. Later that day, Ozy's board of directors announced that it was shutting the company down. Watson, in an October 4 interview on Today, said that Ozy would remain in operation.
On February 23, 2023, Watson was arrested on fraud charges. Ozy shut down on March 1, 2023, as a result of charges against Watson and other executives. On July 16, 2024, Watson was convicted in New York of repeatedly lying to investors about the financial health of Ozy Media. He was subsequently sentenced to ten years in prison, but just hours before he was due to report to Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc II, President Donald Trump commuted Watson's sentence in March 2025.
Biography from the Wikipedia article Carlos Watson (journalist). Licensed under CC-BY-SA. Full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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