Ex-Suns ticket manager pleads guilty to illegally selling game tickets in 2017-2019, collecting $458K

A former Phoenix Suns ticket manager pleaded guilty in early April to felony fraud and theft charges after he was suspected of illegally selling more than 2,800 tickets to a third party vendor between 2017 and 2019, according to documents filed in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Jeffrey Marcussen, 44, collected nearly half a million dollars from StubHub, a popular ticket exchange, in the two-year period, court documents stated.

StubHub contacted the National Basketball Association after it discovered five different StubHub accounts linked to Marcussen, court documents stated.

The Phoenix Suns does not sell game tickets through StubHub, court documents stated.

Marcussen was employed by the Phoenix Suns for 15 years. Up until his departure from the team in 2019, he controlled and handled ticketing for the Suns as an executive staff member, court documents stated.

He was initially indicted with two additional felony counts related to incorrect tax reporting in September of 2020. However, those charges were dismissed in the plea deal agreement set forth by the court.

Marcussen could serve a maximum sentence of 13 years in prison for the felony fraud and theft charges, which breaks down as 10 years for felony fraud and three years for felony theft charges, according to court documents.

He may be placed on supervised probation for the felony fraud charge, but will have to pay $1,780 to the Arizona Attorney General’s anti-racketeering revolving fund and $11,818 to the Arizona Department of Revenue, the court documents stated.

Because Marcussen is not guaranteed probation on the felony theft charge, he could face up to three years in jail. But if he happens to be placed on probation for the second charge, he will still be required to serve a year in jail.

Marcussen was required to pay the Suns $458,218 in restitution before his plea change, court documents stated.

In a statement provided to The Arizona Republic, Marcussen’s attorney Mark Kokanovich said, “Jeff worked for the Phoenix Suns for close to 20 years. After the cold-blooded, tragic murder of his brother near the end of Jeff’s career with the Suns, Jeff began selling tickets without team approval. Jeff admitted to the sales and reimbursed the team while cooperating with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.”

The Phoenix Suns did not return a request for comment.

Shooting death of Marcussen's brother

Marcussen’s brother, 32-year-old Thomas Marcussen, was shot and killed outside a central Phoenix sports bar in March 2014.

Phoenix police officers were called just before midnight March 22 to Zipp's Sports Grill near 16th Street and Bethany Home Road, where they found Thomas Marcussen with a gunshot wound to the leg, and another 44-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the back and leg, according to court records.

A video surveillance system set up outside the bar captured footage of a woman who appeared to be Jessica Ann Wood walking up to the unarmed men while she held a chrome-colored, semi-automatic handgun in a shooting stance, according to court records. The woman then shot Marcussen and chased the other man out of the camera's sight, according to court documents.

Wood has said that she did not remember the events of the shooting but that she realizes the person in the surveillance video is her.

Officers noted that Wood appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to court documents.

Wood was later sentenced that December to 25 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Marcussen and 18 years for the attempted murder of the other man who was shot.

Jeffrey Marcussen will be sentenced June 7.

Reach breaking news reporter Amaris Encinas at amaris.encinas@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @amarisencinas.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former Phoenix Suns ticket manager pleads guilty in ticket scheme