Ticket scammer guilty of identity theft

HOUSTON – A 48-year-old California resident has pleaded guilty in a nationwide ticket scam that included a Texas A&M football game, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Derrick Langford admitted he used email to obtain stolen credit card information from victims across the United States. He used that data and false identities to buy tickets for sporting events, concerts and other entertainment venues across the United States. He then re-sold the tickets on internet-based resale sites like Ticket Liquidator. 

One such event tied to Langford was the Texas A&M football game against Clemson Sept. 8, 2018. During the hearing today, Langford admitted he created false buyer accounts and used stolen credit card numbers to buy tickets to that game and then resold the fraudulently-purchased tickets on resale sites to unsuspecting buyers. 

Texas A&M discovered the fraud and invalidated the tickets. However, some had already been sold to unsuspecting buyers which caused the university to incur a 100% loss on the fraudulent tickets.

As the scheme continued, Langford received stolen credit card information and personal identifying information of more than 75 victims in one of his email accounts. 

U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge accepted the plea and set sentencing for Dec. 14. At that time, Langford faces a mandatory sentence of two years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. 

Langford was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.

The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas A&M University Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Quincy Ollison and Belinda Beek are prosecuting the case.