Ex-Radio Host Craig Carton Sentenced to 42 Months for Fraudulent Ticket Selling
The former WFAN host was convicted in November of perpetuating a Ponzi-like ticket selling scheme that defrauded investors of millions.
April 05, 2019 at 05:30 PM
3 minute read
Craig Carton, the former co-host of WFAN's “Boomer and Carton,” was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison Friday, after being convicted of operating a fraudulent ticket selling business in November.
Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said Carton, and his co-conspirator Joseph Meli, were able to secure millions of dollars from investors for their purported plans to buy blocks of tickets to concerts and events they would then turn around and sell at a markup.
Investors were told the pair had deals with music promoters and venues to get these tickets at face value. Investors were told tickets to popular acts, such as Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Roger Waters, Metallica and Barbra Streisand. No such deal were in place.
In reality, the pair, along with another co-conspirator, were facing more than $1 million in personal debt that the investments provided for the purchasing of tickets would go to pay off.
In 2016, Carton began negotiating with a hedge fund for up to $10 million worth of capital to pay for tickets the hedge fund believed were coming through an agreement with a concert promotion company. The agreement, however, was fraudulent. The first $700,000 the hedge fund sent over was diverted to the personal bank accounts of the three co-conspirators. The hedge fund would go on to provide millions more for ticket purchases for concerts and events that never actually existed.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman called Carton “all talk” for the “elaborate fiction” in which he convinced investors to participate.
“Today he has learned that the price of defrauding investors is a term in prison,” Berman said.
In addition to his prison sentence, Carton was ordered to pay nearly $5 million in restitution, along with $4.59 million in forfeiture. Both of Carton's other co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty to wire and securities fraud charges.
In a statement, Carton's attorney, Gottlieb & Janey name attorney Derrelle Janey, cast his conviction and sentencing in stark personal terms.
“Mr. Carton's case is a reflection of the dangers of gambling addiction and addictions generally and the degree to which they can lead to serious criminal penalties,” Janey said.
Related:
Sports Radio Host Craig Carton Charged With Fraud in Ticket Scheme
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