Ex-Phoenix Suns worker Jeffrey Marcussen pleads responsible to illicitly promoting crew’s tickets, agrees to pay restitution

A former Phoenix Suns ticket supervisor has pleaded responsible to illicitly promoting greater than 2,800 of the crew’s tickets via a 3rd social gathering from 2017 to 2019 and agreed to pay $458,218 to the crew in restitution, in response to a plea settlement filed in Maricopa County Superior Courtroom.

Jeffrey Marcussen, who labored for the Suns from 2004 to 2019, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 7 on felony fraud and theft prices. Such prices collectively might carry a most 13-year jail sentence, however, within the plea settlement submitted to the choose, prosecutors have as a substitute requested for probation with, at most, a 12 months in jail. Marcussen should additionally pay $1,780 to the Arizona Lawyer Normal’s anti-racketeering revolving fund and $11,818 to the Arizona Division of Income, in response to courtroom information.

The matter involving Marcussen, 44, is just not tied to the NBA’s investigation into the Phoenix Suns and majority proprietor Robert Sarver.

Based on courtroom information, Marcussen was indicted in September 2020 on 4 felonies, together with two counts for submitting false tax returns. Prosecutors allege that Marcussen offered the tickets on StubHub, a web based ticket retail website, with out authorization. The Suns do not promote tickets on the platform.

“StubHub contacted the NBA when it found 5 totally different Stub Hub accounts all linked to the Defendant,” prosecutors wrote in a November 2020 response to Marcussen’s movement to switch launch circumstances and to journey out of state. “After an inner audit by the Phoenix Suns Group, which included a confession by the Defendant, regulation enforcement investigated the case. The investigation revealed, and financial institution information confirmed, that the Defendant acquired a complete payout from Stub Hub for $458,218.”

Suns staff had been notified by way of a company-wide e-mail in late June 2019 that Marcussen was now not employed by the crew, although no cause was acknowledged within the e-mail, crew sources stated. Within the crew’s 2018-19 media information, Marcussen’s title was listed as Assistant Director, Suns Ticketing.

Neither the Suns nor the Arizona Lawyer Normal’s workplace responded to requests for remark.

In an announcement to ESPN, Marcussen’s legal professional, Mark Kokanovich stated, “Jeff labored for the Phoenix Suns for near 20 years. After the cold-blooded tragic homicide of his brother close to the top of Jeff’s profession with the Suns, Jeff started promoting tickets with out crew approval. Jeff admitted to the gross sales and reimbursed the crew whereas cooperating with the Arizona Lawyer Normal’s Workplace.”

Marcussen’s brother, Thomas, was killed in 2014.