5 still sought in ticket scam
The FBI is searching for five people who were charged in February with peddling phony tickets to Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks games, and funneling the proceeds back to their gang.
Sixteen people face forgery charges in “Operation Bear Down” for selling fake tickets to events that also included concerts, WWE Extreme Wrestling and Disney on Ice, according to a statement from the FBI. Eleven people have been taken into custody, but five remain on the loose.
The FBI is searching for Joseph McKnight, 27, of the first block of East 59th Street; Rodney Pole, 25, of the 7100 block of South Francisco; Marcus Moore, 19, of the 10600 block of South Champlain; Rashawn Mays, 30, of the 200 block of West Pershing; and Lamont Flowers, 30, of the 3800 block of South Wells.
The Chicago Police Department’s Organized Crime Division launched the probe in November 2014 after a victim tipped investigators. CPD said more than 1,500 people were ripped off by the ring. The alleged counterfeiters raked in up to $ 60,000 per event, police said.
The FBI and Chicago Police targeted a group of Gangster Disciples operating out of the Wentworth Gardens housing complex.
The feds sought permission last spring to search a cellphone confiscated in March 2015 after Pole allegedly sold fake tickets to un- dercover officers for a Maroon 5 concert at the United Center.
Pole sold the first pair of fake tickets for $ 350 at a Dunkin’ Donuts in the 1600 block of South Michigan, and the second set for $ 450 at a Starbucks at Wabash and Roosevelt, records show.
The group allegedly used sophisticated equipment to print high- quality counterfeit tickets, which were sold on Craigslist and handed off at coffee shops or restaurants for cash.
Also charged were Labron Gray, 39; Nathaniel Gray, 24; Mitchell Hazzard, 36; Dionte Johnson, 20; Darrick McClinton, 33; Kenneth McCullough, 19; Russell Merritt, 36; David Metcalf, 25; Mark Morrison, 24; Jason Peters, 24; and Lionel Robinson, 34.
At least nine of the men are felons, court records show.
Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at ( 312) 421- 6700; or 911.