Subscribe
Follow Us
A duo was arrested in New York after allegedly selling stolen Taylor Swift tickets. Prior to the duo's arrest, they allegedly made $600k from the scheme.
Tyrone Rose, 20, of Kingston, Jamaica, and Shamara P. Simmons, 31, of Jamaica, Queens were arrested Thursday (Feb. 27) and charged with grand larceny in the second degree, conspiracy in the fourth degree, and two hacking-related charges, computer tampering in the first degree and computer tampering in the fourth degree, The Wrap reports.
A co-conspirator has not been named according to the DA's office but they worked as a third-party contractor called Sutherland for StubHub in Kingston, Jamaica. The co-conspirator allegedly worked alongside Rose obtained URLs from StuHub and sent them to Simmons and another accomplice via email. Simmons and her accomplice resold those URLs on StubHub for profit. Simmons' co-conspirator has since died.
“According to the charges, these defendants tried to use the popularity of Taylor Swift’s concert tour and other high-profile events to profit at the expense of others,” District Attorney Melinda Katz told Variety. “They allegedly exploited a loophole through an offshore ticket vendor to steal tickets to the biggest concert tour of the last decade and then resold those seats for an extraordinary profit of more than $600,000.”
Swifties weren't the only ones targeted as the suspects sold 993 tickets to the Eras Tour, Ed Sheeran, and Adele concerts after they gained access to tickets already purchased by fans.
“At StubHub, ensuring a safe and secure platform for our fans is our highest priority. Upon discovering this criminal scheme, we immediately reported it to the third-party customer service vendor, Sutherland Global Services (SGS), as well as to the Queens District Attorney’s Office and Jamaican law enforcement,” wrote Mark Streams, chief legal officer at StubHub, in a statement to Variety. “The individuals involved, employees of SGS, exploited a system vulnerability to fraudulently resell tickets. They were swiftly identified and terminated. StubHub has since replaced or refunded all identified orders impacted and strengthened security measures to further protect our fans and sellers. We appreciate the efforts of District Attorney Melinda Katz and law enforcement in bringing these individuals to justice.”
Impact Of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour
Swift began in March 2023 and wrapped in December 2024 after 149 shows in five continents across 51 cities. The Eras Tour made $2.2 billion in revenue becoming the highest-grossing tour of all time.
The tour went through the singer's different eras throughout her career as she performed songs from her 10 studio albums: Lover, Speak Now, Fearless, Evermore, Reputation, Red, Folklore, 1989, Midnights, and her latest The Tortured Poets Department.
In a fan video, Swift expressed her gratitude for her fans while embarking on the tour. “This is the most fun, joyful, exciting, intense, powerful and wonderful tour I have ever done, and that's all because of the way that you have treated it,” Swift is heard in a fan video via X.
📹 | Taylor talking about never wanting The Eras Tour to end #VancouverTSTheErasTour
“There’s a reason this is my longest tour. I never wanted it to end because you made it a wonderful experience. You created traditions… trading friendship bracelets.”
— Taylor Swift News (@TSwiftNZ) December 8, 2024
“There's a reason why this is my longest tour I've ever done. I've never played this many shows on a tour before, and it's just cause I really never wanted it to end, because you guys have made it into such a wonderful experience for all of us on stage,” she continued.
Swift is reportedly staying low this year and will possibly go on tour again in 2026.
