MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A New York man with a history of identity theft stole $3.5 million from a Florida city to buy sports tickets and resell them online, federal prosecutors allege.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says David J. Miller, 44, of Syracuse, stole money from Miami Beach between last July and October using a stolen identity and bank information to buy season and individual game tickets to National Football League games and other sporting events and then resell them.
The Miami Herald reports (http://hrld.us/2qKRHdz ) used an Illinois man’s identity to setup an account on a website where people can buy and transfer personal seat licenses, which allow the holder to buy season tickets from sports teams.
Prosecutors say he then somehow got access to one of Miami Beach’s bank accounts and withdrew money 57 times. The city didn’t notice the fraud until December because of problems in its finance department. It has since recovered almost $2 million.
Miller is charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He is jailed in Syracuse on unrelated state identity theft charges, having allegedly stolen a woman’s identity to buy a cell phone and run up a near $10,000 bill. He has pleaded not guilty to the state charges. His attorney declined comment.
New York records show that Miller was convicted of identity theft in 2013 and has served time for grand larceny and criminal possession of a forged instrument.
Under the federal charges, Miller faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted.