'Amazon' of ticket touting was run from sixth form college, court hears
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Nicola Daley told a jury of seven men and five women during the prosecution's opening: "In simple terms, each of the defendants on trial before you are said to have been involved in a sophisticated ticket fraud."The central purpose of this fraud was to obtain as many Liverpool football tickets as possible, the prosecution say by various dishonest means, in order to then resell those tickets at significantly inflated prices via online secondary websites such as Viagogo, StubHub and Ticketbis. In the main, the messages centred around a website that was created after Louis James had been sacked, a website created by Joseph Johnson, Lee Smith and Liam Rice, which was called Seatfinder UK."Overall, it is really what is in the messages which, the prosecution say, demonstrates the dishonesty of these defendants. [Joseph Johnson] originally just had a few laptops set up, harvesting and selling tickets."But that is not how the business ended up.
Much of the evidence will relate to Liverpool FC tickets, but you will also see him selling tickets for other clubs."It is not clear when Joseph Johnson first secured the help of Louis James. But what is evident is that there was a clear business relationship between them that had started, at least, by 2016."Joseph Johnson was meanwhile said to have "used Lee Smith and Liam Rice", "friends and associates" of both him and Louis James, as well as his parents Angela and David Johnson and girlfriend Sian Woodyatt "by using their bank cards, with their knowledge, to obtain memberships and tickets".
He was involved, the prosecution say, in not only the purchasing of tickets but also making arrangements to collect the tickets and creating accounts and buying tickets online."The prosecution say that this is not just about ticket touting, not just about the general resale of a few tickets, but, in fact, the obtaining of huge numbers of tickets meant for those living locally, those tickets being obtained by various fraudulent means in order to make huge profits by reselling those tickets at overinflated prices without making it clear there was a serious risk of them being refused entry. Joseph Johnson was at the centre, but, to further his criminality, he utilised the assistance of his partner, parents and friends to obtain as many Liverpool FC memberships and tickets and, thereafter, launder the proceeds."Joseph Johnson, aged 42 and of Chelford Road in Eccleston, St Helens, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by abuse of position and three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.