Duo Who Made $600K Selling Stolen Tickets Arrested in New York
In a shocking case of brazen deception, two individuals have been arrested by the Queens District Attorney's office for making over half a million dollars selling stolen concert and sporting event tickets.
Tyrone Rose, 20, from Kingston, Jamaica, and Shamara P. Simmons, 31, from Jamaica, Queens, were apprehended last Thursday on charges of grand larceny in the second degree, conspiracy in the fourth degree, hacking-related offenses, and computer tampering in both the first and fourth degrees.
According to the DA's office, Rose and his co-conspirator worked at a third-party contractor called Sutherland in Jamaica, where they obtained ticket URLs from StubHub. They then sent the stolen tickets by email to Simmons and another unnamed co-conspirator, who subsequently resold them on the online marketplace.
Tragically, Simmons' co-conspirator has since passed away. Despite this, the scheme managed to net approximately $635,000 between June 2022 and July 2023, with a staggering 993 stolen tickets from around 350 StubHub orders being pulled off during that time period.
The majority of these pilfered tickets belonged to Taylor Swift's blockbuster "The Eras" tour, but the duo also managed to get their hands on stolen tickets for Adele and Ed Sheeran concerts, as well as NBA games and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships.
Law enforcement officials say that Rose and Simmons' scheme was an elaborate operation that spanned multiple months and involved a network of accomplices.
The arrests marked the culmination of a lengthy investigation by the DA's office, which aimed to disrupt the flow of illicit tickets into the market. By targeting those involved in such schemes, authorities hope to reduce the impact of ticket reselling on the legitimate market and provide fans with a safer way to purchase event tickets.
The arrests highlight the importance of vigilance and cooperation between law enforcement agencies, ticket sellers, and consumers in protecting consumers from these types of scams. By working together, we can help prevent such schemes from arising in the future.