TRENTON – The Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Consumer Affairs have filed suit against a Florida man who allegedly sold tickets to a Bruce Springsteen charity concert for more than double the maximum allowable price, in violation of New Jersey’s ticket scalping laws, Attorney General Peter C. Harvey and Consumer Affairs Director Reni Erdos announced today.

The lawsuit, filed in Essex County Superior Court, names as defendants David Bobbie of Panama City, Fla, and his company Gulf Coast Tickets. Gulf Coast Tickets, a/k/a First Choice Tickets, maintains offices in Shelton, Conn., and Panama City, Fla.

The suit alleges that Bobbie resold four tickets for Springsteen’s December 2003 Holiday Show Concert in Asbury Park to an undercover Consumer Affairs investigator for a total of $1,500 ($375 per ticket) — a 275 percent mark-up above the $100 face value of each ticket. State law prohibits ticket brokers from reselling tickets for admission to a place of entertainment in New Jersey at a premium in excess of 50 percent of the price paid to acquire the tickets, plus lawful taxes.

"These defendants attempted to use this charity event to cash in illegally on Bruce Springsteen’s popularity and benevolence," Attorney General Harvey said. "Our suit seeks to have the defendants pay restitution, penalties and costs for their alleged violations of the State’s ticket scalping laws."

"It’s really a shame what greed will make people do," Director Erdos said. "To deny people the ability to obtain tickets at an affordable price for one’s own selfish gain is not only despicable, it’s against the law."

The State’s five-count complaint also alleges that the defendants:

• engaged in the business of reselling tickets for admission to places of entertainment within New Jersey without maintaining a place of business in the State and without registering as a ticket broker with Consumer Affairs; and

• sold tickets to an undercover Consumer Affairs investigator without disclosing their cancellation policy and the fact that a service charge had been added to the stated price on the tickets.

"I would like to thank the Postal Inspectors working under the direction of Martin Phanco, Inspector In Charge of the New Jersey/Caribbean Division, for assisting us with our investigation," Director Erdos said.

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Koziar of the Division of Law is handling this case for the State.

Anyone who has a complaint against Gulf Coast Tickets or any other ticket broker may contact Consumer Affairs’ Regulated Business Section at 973-504-6370. Consumers can also file complaints online at www.njconsumeraffairs.com/ocp/ocpform.htm.

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