Craig Carton Proclaims Innocence, Says Fight Against Fraud Charges 'Has Only Just Begun'

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Embattled WFAN radio host and New Rochelle native Craig Carton says his fight has only "just begun" and is confident that people will see that he is not guilty of the fraud charges filed against him. Carton co-hosts "Boomer and Carton" radio show with former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason. Carton and a Bergen County man are accused of defrauding investors out of millions of dollars by running a "Ponzi-like" ticket scheme to pay their personal debts, authorities previously said.

Carton was arrested at his Manhattan home Sept. 6. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Carton issued a statement regarding the charges Sept. 12:

“I want to thank my family, friends and fans and especially Boomer for the outpouring of public and private support I’ve received over the past few days. As you can imagine, it’s been incredibly hard to be silent while there is an endless stream of vitriol being hurled my way, but I’m confident that when the facts come out, you’ll see that I am not guilty of these charges. My fight has only just begun and I know when this strange episode is over, I’ll be back, stronger than ever. Thank you for all the kind words and good wishes as I continue on with one of the greatest battles of my life.”

Carton, 48, was suspended from "Boomer and Carton" Thursday.

Carton, Michael Wright, 41, of Upper Saddle River, NJ and another person were charged with wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney's Office for New York's Southern District said in a statement.

Carton, Wright and the other person worked together to get investors to pay them millions of dollars that would be used to purchase blocks of tickets, which would then be resold on the secondary market, according to Joon Kim, acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and William Sweeney Jr., the assistant director-in-charge of the FBI's New York office.

Carton and the unnamed person got the tickets based on agreements the person had with a concert promotions company and that Carton had a company that operates two arenas in the New York metro area, Kim said.

On Sept. 7, 2016, Carton emailed Wright and the other person, referenced a potential investor in an upcoming holiday concert tour, and suggested “borrow[ing] against projected profits” on that investment, officials said.

Written by Daniel Hubbard (Patch Staff).

Photo caption: In this Aug. 30, 2012, file photo, Craig Carton talks during the National Football League Back to Football Run at Central Park in New York. Federal officials said the New York sports radio host is in custody and details of the charges against the host of WFAN-AM’s “Boomer and Carton” show were not immediately made public Wednesday. Photo credit: John Minchillo/AP Images for NFL/Associated Press.