Chicago Woman Tracy Monti Sentenced to Nearly 4 Years for $5 Million Fake Concert and Sports Ticket Resale Scheme

Case from 2016–2018 (U.S. Attorney's Office latest release: Dec. 6, 2018). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Tracy Monti of Chicago was sentenced on Dec. 4, 2018, to 46 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $4,997,958 in restitution for a scheme that took more than $5 million from investors who believed she could profit by reselling concert and sports tickets, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced [1].

How the scheme worked

According to prosecutors [1] [2]:

1. The pitch: Monti said she had connections with event promoters and venues that let her buy tickets at face value or at a discount, then resell them on the secondary market for a profit.
2. No connections: Those business relationships did not exist.
3. Spending: She used investors' money on a house in Chicago, a Dodge Challenger, tattoos, vacations and shopping at Victoria's Secret and Neiman Marcus.
4. Ponzi-type payments: She paid some early investors with later investors' money.

The scheme ran from 2010 to 2015 and victimized more than 10 investors, one of whom took money out of his pension.

The person sentenced

Tracy Monti, 44 at sentencing, of Chicago [1]

• Indictment (October 2016): seven counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering; arrested Oct. 21, 2016 [2].
• Plea: pleaded guilty in 2018 to one count of wire fraud.
• Sentence (Dec. 4, 2018): 46 months in prison and $4,997,958 in restitution, imposed by U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah.
• Investigation: FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation.

Red flags

• "Inside access" to face-value tickets that you can't verify with the promoter or venue.
• Guaranteed profits from reselling tickets, merchandise or other goods.
• No written contract, receipts or proof the tickets ever existed.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Ask for proof of purchase from the primary seller and verify it directly with the venue or ticketing platform.
2. Treat "investments" in someone else's resale business as high-risk and get any deal in writing.
3. Report investment fraud to the FBI at ic3.gov and your state securities regulator.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Tracy Monti, Chicago	N.D. Ill. (Judge Shah)	Indicted October 2016; pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2018; sentenced Dec. 4, 2018, to 46 months; $4,997,958 restitution	[1], [2]

The sentence was imposed in 2018; we have not found a source on any later proceedings.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Chicago Woman Sentenced to Nearly 4 Years for Multi-Million Dollar Fraud Involving Bogus Event Ticket Business," Dec. 6, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/chicago-woman-sentenced-nearly-4-years-multi-million-dollar-fraud-involving-bogus-event
2. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Chicago Woman Arrested in $5 Million Fraud Scheme Involving Bogus Business to Re-Sell Tickets to Concerts and Sporting Events," Oct. 21, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/chicago-woman-arrested-5-million-fraud-scheme-involving-bogus-business-re-sell-tickets

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