Broker and 2 Former Team Employees Scam White Sox of $1 Million Through Fraudulent Ticket Sales
By Karl Rasmussen
Two former Chicago White Sox employees and a ticket broker have been charged in a scheme which alleges they sold fraudulent tickets to the team's games in what's been described as a "years-long" scam.
The scam -- conducted by 34-year-old broker Bruce Lee, as well as former team employees William O'Neil, 51, and James Costello, 66, is believed to have cost the White Sox roughly $1 million.
JUST IN: Two former Chicago White Sox employees are charged for scheming with a ticket broker to fraudulently sell thousands of tickets to baseball games, costing the Sox roughly $1 million, the feds say. Story to come.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) January 31, 2020
Lee allegedly sold thousands of tickets to fans in the South Side via StubHub, and is reported to have distributed more than 17,000 tickets in the 2017 season alone. He would sell tickets using complimentary vouchers -- given to him by Costello and O'Neil, which are tickets intended for family and friends of players and staff members and are not meant to be sold.
White Sox ticket sellers James Costello and William O'Neil have been charged along with broker Bruce Lee. Lee allegedly earned $868,369 by selling 34,876 tickets he obtained from Costello and O'Neil during the 2016 to 2019 seasons.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) January 31, 2020
Lee reportedly faces 11 counts of wire fraud as well as two counts of money laundering.
Lee faces 11 counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. Costello faces one count of wire fraud, and O'Neil is charged with lying to the FBI.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) January 31, 2020
Costello has been charged with one count of wire fraud, while O'Neil was hit with a charge of lying to the FBI.