COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — When a 23-year-old man realized the Bulls tickets he bought on Craigslist were counterfeit, he arranged a second meetup with the scalper, prosecutors said.
This time, he brought along police, according to Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti, who spoke at a brief bond hearing Tuesday.
Darrell Burton, 48, was arrested at a Bronzeville Starbucks Saturday. According to an arrest report, he told officers he knew the tickets were bogus, but needed money to settle a marijuana debt.
The victim, who lives in west suburban Oak Park, had answered an ad on Craigslist offering tickets to Saturday's Bulls-Philadephia 76ers game, police said.
He paid $250 cash when he met Burton at Starbucks, 3500 S. State St., on Saturday, then headed to the United Center, court records show. But when the man tried to use his tickets, security personnel showed up and stopped him from going inside, according to police.
So the victim hopped back on Craigslist, Antonietti said, this time using his girlfriend's email address. He arranged to buy tickets from Burton again, for the same game. He again met Burton at Starbucks — but this time brought several Chicago Police officers with him.
The officers found counterfeit Bulls tickets in Burton's pocket, according to police and prosecutors. All of the tickets were for Row 6 in Section 101, court records show.
Burton, of the 5900 block of South Paulina Street in Englewood, was charged with two counts of forgery.
Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. on Tuesday ordered Burton held on $75,000 bail.
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