Two hackers have been arrested for cybercrime theft after stealing over 900 Taylor Swift “Eras Tour” tickets and re-selling them, Fox News Digital confirmed.
Tyrone Rose, 20, and Shamara P. Simmons, 31, allegedly pocketed $600,000 during the scheme, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
“According to the charges, these defendants tried to use the popularity of Taylor Swift’s concert tour and other high-profile events to profit at the expense of others,” Katz said in a press release. “They allegedly exploited a loophole through an offshore ticket vendor to steal tickets to the biggest concert tour of the last decade and then resold those seats for an extraordinary profit of more than $600,000.”
Rose and Simmons were charged with grand larceny in the second degree, computer tampering in the first degree, conspiracy in the fourth degree and computer tampering in the fourth degree. They each face up to 15 years in prison.
TAYLOR SWIFT PASSES BILLIONAIRE STATUS IN MUSIC INDUSTRY ERA OF ARTISTS LOSING MILLIONS
Fox News Digital reached out to Swift’s representative for comment.
Swift faced multiple issues regarding “Eras Tour” ticket sales. Ticketmaster canceled the public sale of Swift’s tour in 2022 after high demand in the pre-sales.
“Due to extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand, tomorrow’s public on-sale for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour has been cancelled,” Ticketmaster shared on social media at the time.
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Swift’s record-breaking tour eventually made the pop star $2 billion in revenue, according to The New York Times.
The “Midnights” singer’s team told the outlet that 10,168,008 fans attended the 149 shows throughout the nearly two-year-long tour.
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Swift has essentially transformed the music industry for female artists, according to Dr. Sonja Stribling, retired U.S. Army Major and author of the upcoming book, “From the Battlefield to the Boardroom.”
“It is not just the money she is making, which is very important, but she is creating a pathway for other people to follow,” Dr. Stribling previously told FOX Business. “I know without a doubt that her and Beyoncé have had a conversation about this because they are paving the way for others to follow. They are the first of many – especially for women – leading the way. So, it’s not just billionaire status, but Taylor is about to go down in history of setting high goals for others to want to achieve.”
“I know that only 1% of this population in the industry that she operates in, and maybe even less than that, will achieve what she has achieved, and she makes it look so simple,” she added.
