QUEENS, N.Y. — A cybercrime ring that allegedly stole and resold more than 900 concert tickets, including for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, has been dismantled, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced.
Two suspects—Tyrone Rose, 20, of Kingston, Jamaica, and Shamara P. Simmons, 31, of Jamaica, Queens—were arrested and arraigned Thursday. They face charges of grand larceny, computer tampering, and conspiracy, with potential sentences of up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
“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,” said DA Katz. “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.”
The investigation found that between June 2022 and July 2023, two employees at a third-party StubHub contractor in Kingston, Jamaica, accessed sold ticket URLs before they were sent to buyers. Rose and an accomplice allegedly redirected these URLs to Simmons in Queens and another co-conspirator, who has since died. The stolen tickets—many for Swift, Adele, and Ed Sheeran concerts, as well as NBA games and the US Open—were then resold on StubHub.
Authorities say the scheme netted $635,000 in illegal profits. The case remains under investigation as law enforcement looks for additional co-conspirators.
Queens prosecutors say the takedown highlights growing threats in cyber fraud targeting high-profile events.
