A couple from Burlington swindled over a hundred people out of $265,000 by selling fake tickets to Taylor Swift concerts and faced some of their victims in a Milton courtroom on Tuesday.
Assistant Crown attorney Michael Rzeszutek informed Ontario Court Justice Peter Maund that the proposed sentencing from both the Crown and defense for Denise Tisor is a two-year less one day Conditional Sentence Order (CSO), while David Blake faces a six-month CSO.
A CSO allows offenders to serve their sentence in the community, usually beginning with strict house arrest followed by a period of house arrest with a curfew. If the judge accepts this joint proposal, the couple won’t serve any time behind bars.
In July, Tisor pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000, while Blake pleaded guilty to one count of possession of property obtained through crime over $5,000. They admitted to defrauding 107 victims who thought they were purchasing tickets from Blake for one of six Toronto Eras Tour concerts scheduled for November 2024.
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Nearly twenty victim impact statements were shared from parents expressing feelings of anger, shock, and distress upon discovering they had bought counterfeit tickets from Tisor. Some parents stated that Tisor was a local mother they trusted since she had previously sold them real concert tickets and even referred her to others.
2:24 Couple pleads guilty in Taylor Swift ticket scam
Many victims recounted how their children felt excited after receiving Taylor Swift tickets as gifts but were left heartbroken when their parents had to tell them that those tickets weren’t real.
“You had no problem at all breaking the hearts of hundreds of children and leaving them to try to make sense of a senseless act of greed,” said Alaina Attard, who spent $1,050 on two tickets.
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Kristina Picton explained in court that she paid $1,700 for two tickets and described how her daughter had been sick for six years undergoing various surgeries. She mentioned that attending this concert would be an important treat-a special day out from hospital stays.
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Picton recalled being at the GO station on their way to the Toronto concert when she received a message from Tisor saying that the person who was supposed to provide her with concert tickets was unreachable.
“I couldn’t believe I was taken for a ride and people could be capable of such malicious behavior,” said Picton. “I hope she’s held accountable for her disgusting behavior. I would like my full payment back-the $1,700-and get restitution.”
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Tammy Allin told court that she spent $2,100 and believed Tisor was trustworthy since she’d taught three out of four of Tisor’s children at school. She called it “a breach of trust.” Allin cried as she recounted having to explain to her daughter that an adult they trusted had been dishonest. p >
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“I carry deep guilt because I recommended the accused to others based on years of trust.” p >
Tisor , also known as Denise Blackhawk , acknowledged that between Aug. 8 , 2023 , and Nov. 12 , 2024 , 107 Taylor Swift ticket buyers across Southern Ontario spent $265 ,330 on tickets sold by her. p >
The facts indicate purchasers negotiated prices for seats located at Rogers Centre for one of Swift ’ s six shows in Toronto during November 2024 before sending payments via electronic money transfer. Tisor assured all buyers they would receive their tickets via email within 48 -72 hours prior to each concert date. p >
The first Taylor Swift concert was scheduled for Nov. 14 , 2024. In the hours leading up to it , none of these victims received their promised tickets. p >
They started reaching out to Tisor seeking answers. She informed them that her ticket source named Mark Harlow was unreachable now but he’d always come through before; however his Facebook profile and email address were deactivated. p >
Tisor claimed she planned on filing a police report about it. Yet none among those 107 individuals ever got either their actual Taylor Swift tickets or refunds for what they paid.
Harlow underwent investigation by law enforcement which concluded he wasn ’ t partaking in selling fraudulent concert passes.
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Blake confessed he knew funds totaling $42 ,495 stemming from sales made by Tisor’s fraudulent ticket operation were deposited into his bank account via electronic transfers between Oct.10 ,2023, and Nov.12 ,2024. He acknowledged these funds resulted specifically from those deceptive ticket transactions.
1 :48 Consumer Matters: Taylorswift ticket scam warning
Tissorand Blakealsoadmittedthatbetween July1st2023and November28thofthesameyeartheygambled$139144ofthosefundsonvariousonlineplatformsincluding Bet Riversand Paybilt Inc., resultingina$56335netloss. Duringthatperiod, thecouplealsomadearound350cashwithdrawalsfrom ATMs, totalingover$297000. Thecourtwasinformedthat Blake’spre-sentencereport(PSR)hasnotyetbeencompleted.
The sentencing hearing will proceed with submissions once Blake’s PSR has been finalized.
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