Two Queens males have been arrested and arraigned for his or her position in a cybercrime ring that stole greater than 900 live performance tickets, nearly all of which had been for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, district lawyer Melinda Katz mentioned this week.
They exploited a loophole to obtain 993 tickets and resold them again on StubHub, raking in roughly $635,000 between June 2022 and July 2023. On high of the Eras Tour, the crime ring additionally boosted tickets for Adele and Ed Sheeran live shows, NBA video games and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships.
Tyrone Rose, 20, of Kingston, Jamaica, and Shamara P. Simmons, 31, of Jamaica, Queens had been arrested and arraigned final week on costs of grand larceny within the second diploma, laptop tampering within the first diploma, conspiracy within the fourth diploma and laptop tampering within the fourth diploma.
In Jamaica, Rose and an unapprehended confederate labored for Sutherland. In Queens, Simmons labored with a now-deceased confederate whose identify was not launched.
Taylor Swift performs on stage through the “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Wembley Stadium. (Kate Inexperienced/Getty Pictures)
The lads face a sentence of three to fifteen years if convicted of the highest rely. They’re due again in court docket on Friday.
“According to the charges, these defendants tried to use the popularity of Taylor Swift’s concert tour and other high-profile events to profit at the expense of others,” the district lawyer mentioned.
“This takedown highlights the vigilance of my office’s Cybercrime and Cryptocurrency Unit as well as the importance of working with our industry partners to combat fraudulent activities and ensure the protection of consumers.”
StubHub has reportedly ended its working relationship with Sutherland over the scheme.
