The suspect in a massive Super Bowl ticket scam has been found and charged with felony theft by conversion.
In late January 2019 Gwinnett Police became aware of a possible scam in reference to the Super Bowl being held in Atlanta. A Lawrenceville man, identified as Ketan Shah appeared to be at the center of the incidents.
At least six people had reported to Gwinnett Police that Ketan had offered to sell them Super Bowl tickets. One of the victims also reported he paid $500,000 for his entertainment company to host a large Super Bowl event at “an arena.”
Police discovered that Ketan was reported as a Missing Person in December. He returned home and was removed from the system. According to police, he had gone to Las Vegas in what was described as a mid-life crisis. He left again a couple days later and his family had not seen him since.
Gwinnett Police detectives began investigating the case and determined that Ketan had been traveling to Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California.
A casino worker in Riverside County, California saw the extensive media coverage on this case and recognized Ketan. He reported the information to Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy with Riverside County Sheriff’s Office went to Pechanga Casino and Resort in Temecula, California and met with casino staff. He confirmed that Ketan was a current guest there. The deputy contacted the lead detective with Gwinnett Police and gave him the information.
The lead detective met with the victims to re-interview them. He was able to gather enough information and evidence from one of the victims to obtain a felony warrant for Ketan’s arrest. The detective consulted with the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office and they agreed that full extradition would be given in this case. Gwinnett Police contacted Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and deputies went to Pechanga Casino and Resort and took Ketan into custody without incident.
Ketan has been charged with one count of Felony Theft by Conversion and is currently being housed in California pending extradition transport. This case is still an active case and is diligently being investigated. Police say further charges will be forthcoming.
