Martin Tirrell, a former sports talk radio show host in Iowa, has been indicted after allegedly defrauding investors in a ticket resale scheme.
According to the Des Moines Register newspaper, Tirrell has been accused of fleecing more than $1m (£780,900/€888,000) from investors, who he supposedly promised he could purchase sports tickets and resell for a profit.
The former radio host is facing six criminal fraud charges for allegedly scamming “at least eight people out of $1.5m in 2016 and 2017,” the report states.
While the accused initially paid back investors and gave them VIP access to events, he reportedly began lying to investors and used their money on personal items or to pay back other investors. Tirrell also allegedly sent investors cheques that he knew could not be cashed in and reportedly provided investors with false wire transfer information.
According to the report, Tirrell is currently facing one count of mail fraud after sending four faulty checks for more than $355,000, two counts of wire fraud after receiving two checks totalling more than $90,000, one count of access device fraud for using an investor’s credit card, and one count of bank fraud after attempting to deposit a check worth more than $13,000 twice. He is also accused of submitting multiple fraud claims related to his debit card.
The Des Moines Register said Tirrell has also been involved in at least 24 other civil lawsuits in Iowa that alleged similar scams.
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