MIAMI — A former radio host and sportscaster in Sioux Falls was sentenced to federal prison after he defrauded investors of more than $5 million as part of a fake ticket resale business.
Former ESPN radio sportscaster Jeffrey Thurn, of Hartford, was sentenced Tuesday, Dec. 10, to 46 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno, of the Southern District of Florida, also ordered Thurn to repay $5.1 million in restitution.
According to court documents, Thurn garnered more than $5 million in investments into his fictitious business, which he called Backstage Tickets. Federal prosecutors say Thurn would promise to buy tickets using money from investors and resell the tickets for a profit.
Thurn had told investors that each ticket would need a certain amount of profit before Thurn would take any sort of commission and that their money would be refunded in the event of a cancellation or postponement of any event.
Court documents say Thurn falsified receipts of past ticket sales in an effort to obtain additional investments.
As part of his plea, Thurn admitted that the $5.1 million he had received from investors was then used for his own benefit.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Miami and prosecuted in the Southern District of Florida.
Thurn is currently lodged at a Federal Detention Center in Miami.
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