New York man pleads guilty to scamming Wisconsin residents of an opportunity to attend Game 6 of 2021 NBA Finals
A New York man is facing two decades behind bars after pleading guilty to a federal charge for scamming people, offering a chance to attend high-profile sporting events, including the 2021 NBA Finals featuring the Milwaukee Bucks.
Nikhil Mahtani, 28, was arraigned and immediately entered a guilty plea Tuesday to wire fraud at the federal court in Green Bay.
According to court documents, Mahtani placed over 1,000 ads on Craigslist between 2019 and 2022, offering high-end tickets and luxury box suites to NFL, NBA and other professional sporting events around the country.
Mahtani's victims included Wisconsin residents. In one instance, a group of friends and family arrived at Fiserv Forum the night the Bucks won the championship on July 20, 2021, only to be turned away and told their tickets were fraudulent, according to prosecutors.
Mahtani made about $100,000 in the scam, prosecutors said.
Mahtani could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison or fined up to $250,000. He is scheduled to sentenced by Judge William C. Griesbach on May 10.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New York man pleads guilty to scam for tickets to NFL, NBA events
