CHICAGO – Attorney General Lisa Madigan alleges a California woman sells tickets to fake festivals and events and pockets consumers' money.
Madigan's office filed suit on behalf of the state of Illinois on Dec. 5 in Cook County Circuit Court against Kristen Yvette Martin, doing business as Expo Network, citing the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
According to the complaint, the defendant creates, advertises, promotes and sells tickets to fake events at locations that do not exist and without any intention of proceeding with the events. The plaintiff alleges the defendant does not refund consumers' money.
The suit states the defendant sold tickets at $25 to $80 each for Taco Fest, an event scheduled for June in Chicago that never took place, and for Crab Fest, an event scheduled for Lake County in August 2017 that also never happened. Tickets for Crab Fest allegedly sold for $39 to $99 per ticket. The plaintiff also names three other festivals scheduled in Illinois in the suit that the defendant allegedly advertised and sold tickets for that never took place.
The plaintiff seeks to enjoin the defendant from engaging in trade or commerce of advertising or selling tickets to events.
The state requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against the defendant for civil penalty of $50,000 per deceptive act, additional amount of $50,000 for every act with intent to defraud, $10,000 for each violation of the Consumer Fraud Act and equitable relief. Madigan's office is represented in the matter by Consumer Fraud Bureau Chief Susan Ellis and Assistant Attorney General Adam Sokol of Consumer Fraud Bureau in Chicago.
Cook County Circuit Court case number 18-CH-15111