Five sentenced for large-scale LFC ticketing fraud

We are welcoming the sentencing of five men to a total of 12 years and a half years in prison for large-scale ticket fraud, following an extensive Merseyside Police investigation.

The men were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today, Wednesday 17 December, after pleading guilty to the charges. They are:

Joseph Johnson, 42, of Chelford Road, Eccleston, St Helens: sentenced to four years and six months for Conspiracy to Commit Fraud by Abuse of Position; Conspiracy to Commit Fraud by False Representation; and Conspiracy to Sell Tickets Fraudulently 

Louis James, 37, of Lapford Crescent, Kirkby (above): sentenced to two years and four months for Conspiracy to Commit Fraud by Abuse of Position; Conspiracy to Commit Fraud by False Representation; and Conspiracy to Sell Tickets Fraudulently

Liam Rice, 35, of Mount Crescent, Kirkby (above): sentenced to two years and 10 months for Conspiracy to Sell Tickets Fraudulently 

Lee Smith, 38 of Moss Lane, Bickerstaff, Ormskirk (above): sentenced to two years and 10 months for Conspiracy to Commit Fraud by Abuse of Position; and Conspiracy to Sell Tickets Fraudulently 

James Johnson, 34, of Westcombe Road, Anfield: sentenced to 21 months (suspended), for Conspiracy to Commit Fraud by Abuse of Position; and Conspiracy to Sell Tickets Fraudulently 

The investigation concerned a large-scale ticket fraud, primarily involving tickets for Liverpool Football Club (LFC) matches, which were dishonestly obtained and resold via secondary websites at inflated prices, none of which was authorised by the club. At the head of these operations were Louis James, Joseph Johnson and Liam Rice.

Over time, the fraud was expanded to include tickets to matches involving other Premier League clubs, and with the creation of a website to advertise and sell the tickets. 

One of the ways in which the offenders obtained tickets was through multiple memberships, using false or misleading information to create multiple accounts and maximise their profits. James Johnson was previously employed by LFC, but left in 2017. The fraud came to light in February 2018, after a system upgrade identified patterns identified by the club, and Merseyside Police was notified. Louis James was dismissed by the club in 2018, following his arrest. 

Although the defendants claimed that the club permitted or encouraged such practices, this was proved to be untrue, and of particular note was a message from the company's document called "The Game Instructions" (below):

‘At no point are you permitted to seek assistance from the club’s ticket office/box office as you will be refused entry to the stadium. The members/season passes you have received belong to the supplier not yourself, Failure to return passes will result in a Fine and can impact on future business with ourselves. Our team are here to help – if you have any issues or questions please call a member of our team, if all instructions are followed there will not be any issues. If you have any problems at the stadium, please call the number provided ASAP 

YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO SEEK HELP FROM THE TICKET OFFICE

Detective Chief Inspector Lynsay Armbruster said: "This was a complex and long-running investigation and it is pleasing to see today's outcome, and the lasting change it will bring about for fans. We worked closely with LFC to identify these offences, the full extent of which was uncovered as evidence was gathered. 

“The criminal group had expanded their operations to other clubs and gone from a primitive bedroom enterprise to a more sophisticated international business, and it is to the benefit of all parties that it was uncovered and their activities dismantled. Measures are now in place to stop such attempts being made in the future.

“Ultimately, more than 1000 memberships were created or used as part of the conspiracy, and a phone seized from Louis James revealed almost a quarter of a million messages and 27,000 images, all of which were reviewed as part of our enquiries. Joseph Johnson, Lee Smith and Liam Rice went on to create a website called Seatfinder UK, a business registered in 2018, and they set up an office on St Helens College's Kirkby campus. But their empire has now been taken apart.

“The total money received as part of this conspiracy is difficult to quantify, but by way of an example, we can say that almost £750,000 was paid into Joseph Johnson's Paypal account alone. Further work will now take place to recover these assets and put them back into the community.

“We understand the high demand for tickets to top-level events, but obtaining them from illegal sources can mean you are denied entry, often after paying large amounts of money for travel, accommodation and other expenses, which can be a devastating experience. It also decreases the chances of law-abiding fans getting tickets in the longer term, and leads to people paying eye-watering sums to see their team.

“We take reports of fraud extremely seriously at Merseyside Police, and will work alongside partners and businesses who are targeted to support all victims.” 

A spokesperson for LFC said: "We would like to thank Merseyside Police for the tenacity and professionalism it showed in pursing this successful investigation.

"We have a zero-tolerance approach to the misuse of our tickets to protect genuine fans from being scammed. This approach applies internally as well as externally, as this case highlights.

“All supporters are reminded not to buy tickets from unofficial online channels or unofficial sellers. Details on how to purchase genuine tickets can be found on the Club's official website."

Senior District Crown Prosecutor Jonathan Egan, of CPS Mersey Cheshire, said: ”These defendants worked together to obtain huge numbers of Liverpool Football Club tickets meant for those living locally or genuine football club members, to make huge profits by reselling them at vastly inflated prices.

“Their so-called “business” grew and went from being the equivalent of a market stall to a multi-million-pound enterprise, with a base in Dubai.

“Even after Louis James and James Johnson lost their jobs in the LFC ticket office, the scam continued but their greed caught up with them in the end and their fraud came to light.

“After they were charged, all of them, apart from Louis James, pleaded not guilty and said they didn’t know the tickets were being sold at a profit.

“The strength of the case lead all of them to plead guilty in the end and they have now been sentenced. They all now have criminal records as fraudsters.” 

More information on reporting suspected fraud can be found here: Report fraud, bribery or corruption | Merseyside Police