Sometimes, you think you know a person, and then they surprise you. Poker players, along with others, were duped recently by poker pro Seyed Reza Ali Fazeli of California, via ticket resale scheme. Fazeli recently pled guilty to a federal wire fraud charge for stealing a total of $6.2 million from individuals who were considered investors of a ticket resale scheme.
The poker pro created a company used for selling tickets that was known as Summit Entertainment. For year, from May 2016 until May 2017, Fazeli took money from investors with the promise that he would buy Super Bowl 2017 tickets as well as for the 2018 World Cup and resell the tickets at a profit. The goal was for investors to be able to see a profit from the ticket sales.
Investors were told by the poker pro that he was not able to resell tickets to the Super Bowl because the NFL did not allow resales. However, he was reportedly working towards a settlement with the pro sports league. But that was not what was going on. Instead, Fazeli was using the money he was given by investors to pay for his own expenses as well as compete in poker tournaments.
When reviewing his poker info at data bases like the Hendon Mob, Fazeli was taking part in high roller events in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Aria at the time of the scheme. He could have used the money he was given as a way to buy-in to these events.
Reportedly, several poker pros had paid Fazeli money to invest in his ticket reselling promise. These players include John Juanda, Erik Seidel and Zachery Clark. These players have now filed a lawsuit against Fazeli to try and get back the money they ‘invested’, which totals $1.3 million.
For Fazeli, he faces as much as 20 years in prison for his actions with sentencing set to take place in January of next year.
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