NY breaks up forgery ring for top tickets

NEW YORK: New York authorities said on Friday that they had broken up a ticket forgery ring that stole thousands of dollars from unsuspecting fans hoping to go to the city’s top shows. Raids on two apartments in The Bronx uncovered forgery devices, lists of victims and more than 100 fake tickets, prosecutors said.

The ring allegedly earned thousands of dollars by selling on Facebook and Craigslist fraudulent tickets to concerts by stars including Paul McCartney and Bruno Mars, as well as major sporting events and hot Broadway performances like "Dear Evan Hansen," prosecutors said.

"Hit shows draw the interest of locals and tourists alike who are seeking to experience something special during a night on the town," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement. "I encourage event-goers to purchase tickets through authorized vendors and to be skeptical when it comes to ticket deals that seem too good to be true," he said.

Alleged ring-leaders Isaac Chestnut, 27, and Rahiem Watts, 29, were charged with multiple counts related to forgery. The arrests come as the entertainment industry grapples with ways to curb or at least manage the lucrative secondary market for tickets to events that can sell out nearly instantly.

Artists led by Bruce Springsteen have employed new technology in hopes of screening out real fans from the scalpers online, while New York authorities have targeted sellers who charge inflated rates for "speculative" tickets they do not yet have in their possession.