Man Arrested For Concert Ticket Scam: Police

A Long Island man was arrested for selling duplicate concert tickets to multiple buyers, Suffolk Police said Saturday.

According to police, after receiving a call from a person who became suspicious about the authenticity of his purchased tickets on the app Letgo, First Precinct Crime Section officers conducted an undercover operation.

The officers arranged to meet the seller, 24-year-old Brandon Lesser, in the parking lot of Ragazzi Italian Kitchen and Bar, located at 2950 Middle Country Road in Nesconset, to purchase two Billy Joel concert tickets for $350.

Lesser sold the undercover officer the same tickets, floor section D, Row 2, seat 5 and 6 for the July 28 show at Madison Square Garden that he sold to the person who initially contacted the police, police said.

Police arrested Lesser and transported him to the First Precinct. Lesser, of Centereach, was charged with two counts of petty larceny and second degree scheme to defraud. He is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on July 31.

Police are asking anyone who might have been a victim of the alleged scam to contact First Precinct Crime Section officers at (631) 854-8126.

SCPD photo