A con artist is in the Jones County jail facing charges in multiple states following the investigation of a scam that involved Georgia Bulldog football tickets.
Matthew Timothy Neet, 42, was booked into the Jones County Law Enforcement Center Nov. 5 for theft by conversion (felony).
Neet gave an Alpharetta address when booked into the Jones County jail but was arrested in Louisiana.
Jones County Sheriff’s Office investigator John Simmons said in a Nov. 15 interview that Neet was brought to his attention by a Gray resident who purchased four season tickets for UGA football games and tickets to four away games.
The purchaser paid Neet a total of $4,700.
“He sent the money in June. In August, he had not received the tickets, and in September, he contacted the JCSO,” Simmons recalled.
The investigator said the victim was referred to Neet as a ticket broker by a mutual friend in Byron he knew from coaching travel ball. After taking the victim’s report, Simmons attempted to contact Neet without success.
The investigator said he left multiple messages on Neet’s phone, and the suspect eventually called the victim and told him he did not have the tickets or the money.
At that point, Simmons said he took out a warrant for Neet’s arrest. During the investigation, he found a Facebook post by Zach Rogers, a reputable ticket broker who had posted a warning about Neet. Simmons said he spoke to Rogers, who not only knew about Neet’s scams but had also compiled a list of people he had cheated.
“There are 30 names on that list with a total $1.4 million in stolen funds,” he said.
The investigator said the scams were not limited to football tickets. He said Neet had taken people’s money for fake real estate deals and even a bogus charter boat business in Costa Rica.
“One victim gave him $375,000 for land that did not exist. This man sold his house to come up with that money,” Simmons said.
The investigator said, in addition to Jones County charges, he knows of warrants in North Carolina and Texas. He said it appears Neet was a legitimate broker at one time, but the scams started over a year ago.
Simmons said a tip to Crime Stoppers in Louisiana was what resulted in the suspect’s arrest. He was extradited to Jones County following his arrest.
Simmons said, after Neet’s arrest went public, he has been receiving calls from across the United States and Tuesday received a call from a newspaper in London.
“I have to tell them I’m dealing with the charges here in Jones County, and the other crimes need to be reported to law enforcement where they took place,” he said.
Jones County Sheriff Butch Reece commented about the ticket scam and Neet’s arrest in a Nov. 8 post on Facebook. He stated that scams happen every day.
“The problem is those tickets never existed. Upon further investigation into Mr. Neet, it was revealed this isn’t his first scam. There are currently 30 or more victims across the states who have been taken for over $1.3 million,” Reece said.
The sheriff said the suspect had been selling football tickets, concert tickets and even real estate that never existed for quite some time. He noted that Neet was arrested in Louisiana and was extradited to the Jones County jail.
“He has been denied bond and has holds from multiple other agencies. Thanks to Macon Regional Crimestoppers for their assistance in locating Mr. Neet,” Reece added.
