New York concertgoers may have heard that six people were indicted on July 23 for stealing account information from StubHub in order to illegally buy approximately 3,500 tickets. Prosecutors charged the accused individuals with 117 counts that included money laundering, possession of stolen property and grand larceny.
The indictment documents stated that a 30-year-old man and a 21-year-old man used accounts that had stored credit card information to buy tickets. They would then give them to fences who could sell them at a discount. However, StubHub added security measures after catching on to the alleged activities. The two accused individuals apparently then began to use stolen credit card information to make the purchases. The 30-year-old man was taken into custody while he was on vacation in Spain and was expected to be returned to the U.S. later.
Two individuals who were accused of being involved in the scam, a 28-year-old Upper East Side man and a 29-year-old New Jersey resident, pleaded not guilty to the charges. An attorney stated in the defense of his client that there was nothing wrong with buying and selling tickets. A fifth participant, age 29, was expected to surrender at some point in the future. Additional members who were located outside of the U.S. were also taken into custody.
Those who are accused of committing white collar crimes such as fraud or grand larceny potentially face severe penalties, such as fines and jail time, if they are found guilty. However, an attorney might help an accused individual by providing evidence that the accused was unaware of any illegal activity, possibly leading to an acquittal.
Source: New York Daily News, “StubHub hacking ring busted in scam“, Shayna Jacobs, July 23, 2014