A 38-year-old man from Carinthia has been sentenced to three years in prison for scamming victims out of nearly 60,000 euros by falsely selling tickets for Coldplay concerts and football matches. His criminal history includes five prior convictions and a significant embezzlement from a previous employer. Despite claiming a gambling addiction as motivation, he continued his fraudulent activities, with possible additional victims expected as investigations into further ticket sales are ongoing. Both sides plan to appeal the sentence.
Fraudster Sentenced for Ticket Scams
A 38-year-old man from Carinthia has been sentenced to three years in prison by the regional court in Klagenfurt for his involvement in 125 fraudulent cases, where he pretended to sell tickets for Coldplay concerts and football European Championship games. The deceitful activities caused victims to lose nearly 60,000 euros. The court’s decision remains subject to appeal.
Early Beginnings of Online Deception
The trial extended as the prosecution examined the man’s five prior convictions, revealing a long history of fraud. His criminal journey began in 2009, when he falsely offered expensive red wine online, sometimes pricing bottles at several thousand euros each. Judge Michaela Sanin noted, with a mix of interest and disapproval, “You must have been one of the first online fraudsters among us.”
The man later expanded his fraudulent schemes, which included unpaid services and a significant embezzlement of 89,000 euros from his previous employer, a social institution in Carinthia. For this crime, he received a one-year prison sentence. It appears that his inhibitions vanished before serving his time, as he even forged his criminal record to secure new employment. “I knew it didn’t matter because I had to go to prison anyway,” he admitted, before embarking on a new round of fraudulent ticket sales for sold-out concerts and events.
Throughout the proceedings, the man attributed his actions to a gambling addiction, claiming, “I was driven by the addiction.” When questioned about his guilt, he acknowledged, “Yes, but I had tunnel vision.” Most of his scams were committed under his real name, leading frustrated ticket buyers to even confront his parents regarding the missing tickets.
Prosecutor Barbara Baum highlighted that there may be even more victims, as investigations revealed additional alleged sales of tickets for Billie Eilish concerts scheduled for next May. Tickets for these events will only become available 48 hours prior, suggesting that more victims may emerge in the coming months. The defendant confessed to making over 20 false sales, potentially increasing the overall financial damage by an additional 8,000 euros.
Both the defense and the prosecution were dissatisfied with the initial sentence, leading to appeals from both sides. Judge Sanin remarked that a one-year prison sentence for his previous embezzlement was clearly insufficient, emphasizing the man’s ongoing fraudulent behavior since 2009. “It was professional fraud, which means you created a continuous source of income,” she stated. The path of deceit seems to have been a persistent choice for the 38-year-old, and the repercussions are far-reaching.