Dubuque Scammers Busted

Dubuque (Iowa) County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men June 28th in connection with a phony R&B concert that left more than 1,000 ticket holders in the lurch.

Reports say Jeffrey Adam Revis of Florida and Charles Warthan of Tennessee were arrested and charged with first degree theft after they tried to collect money for tickets to the “Y105 Summer Jam” sold by two local businesses, according to the city’s Telegraph Herald.

The festival, scheduled to be held at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds June 30th, was reportedly pitched to KLYV-FM by Atlanta-based JM Nice Promotions, according to the Globe Gazette. The promoter then provided hundreds of tickets for the fake event, featuring Chris Brown, Chamillionaire and Ciara, and sent the radio station a $500 money order to cover several on-air concert promos.

Fairground and station officials found out just days before the concert that neither Brown nor the other artists were scheduled to be there.

“When they talked to the radio [station] and fair association, they did everything typical that a promoter would do,” Chief Deputy Don Vrotses told the Herald. “The ticket holders are the ultimate losers.”

Sheriff’s deputies set up surveillance at Uncle Ike’s Music and CD’s 4 Change after the owners alerted them that someone would be coming by to collect the ticket dough. Revis and Warthan were arrested without incident. Any uncollected cash was turned over to the sheriff’s department.

Ticket holders were being asked to bring their ducats with proof of purchase to the Sheriff’s office and fill out a form while officials sort out if refunds might be given.