Theft of Nearly 1,000 Concert Tickets Leads to Arrest of Cyber Crooks
Their victims are looking for swift justice.
Two cyber crooks are facing serious charges for allegedly swindling nearly 1,000 concert tickets, with a focus on Taylor Swift’s blockbuster tour, according to prosecutors. Tyrone Rose, 20, of Kingston, Jamaica, and Shamara P. Simmons, 31, of Jamaica, Queens, were apprehended in Queens for their involvement in a resale scam that generated $635,000 between June 2022 and July 2023, as per the Queens DA’s Office.
The duo targeted not only Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated Eras Tour tickets but also tickets for Adele and Ed Sheeran concerts, NBA games, and the US Open tennis tournament, officials revealed.
“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,” stated Queens DA Melinda Katz. “They allegedly exploited a loophole … to steal tickets to the biggest concert tour of the last decade.”
Rose, who worked for a third-party StubHub contractor in Kingston, along with an accomplice who is still at large, intercepted approximately 350 StubHub orders, totaling 993 tickets, prosecutors revealed. They exploited their access to StubHub’s computer system to gain entry to a secure ticket area where tickets had already been sold and delivered to buyers for download.
The stolen tickets were then forwarded to Simmons and another Queens resident, who has since passed away, before being listed on StubHub for resale at a profit.
Rose and Simmons were arrested and arraigned on charges of grand larceny, computer tampering, and conspiracy. Despite the seriousness of the charges, none of them are eligible for bail under state law. As a result, Criminal Court Judge Anthony Battisti released the pair with the requirement to appear in court on March 7.
Rose, who was in New York at the time of his arrest, was instructed to surrender his passport. If convicted on the primary charge, both individuals could face prison sentences ranging from 3 to 15 years.
