PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
(WTAQ-WLUK) — Wisconsin residents were among the victims of a years-long professional sports ticket scam, according to federal officials.
Nikhil Mahtani, 28, of New York City, was arraigned in federal court Tuesday and pleaded guilty to one charge of wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Court documents state that between approximately Jan. 2019 and Dec. 2022, Mahtani placed more than 1,000 Craigslist ads offering high-end tickets and luxury box suites to professional sporting events around the country, including the NFL and the NBA.
Numerous victims throughout the Eastern District of Wisconsin and elsewhere were victimized by Mahtani, who accepted thousands of dollars in payments for tickets and suites he knew were not real. In one instance, a large group of friends and family arrived at the Fiserv Forum the night the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Championship in 2021, only to be turned away and told their tickets were fraudulent.
Officials said Mahtani collected about $100,000 from the scam victims. His sentencing is set for May 10. He faces up to 20 years in prison, three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation, alongside the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Investigations.
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