Massachusetts firefighter Robert Whelan is accused of collecting more than $14,000 from people expecting FIFA World Cup tickets and sending a forged email claiming a $157,000 pension withdrawal would cover refunds. Prosecutors say the tickets never arrived and no buyers were repaid. Whelan pleaded not guilty on Aug. 3 to charges including larceny, forgery and uttering a false instrument; he was released on personal recognizance and placed on paid administrative leave while the case proceeds.
Mass. Firefighter Accused of $14K World Cup Ticket Scam, Faked $157K Pension Email
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A Massachusetts firefighter has been accused of collecting more than $14,000 from people who believed they were buying FIFA World Cup tickets, then sending a forged email that claimed a $157,000 pension withdrawal would be used to refund them, prosecutors say.
What Prosecutors Allege
According to the criminal complaint cited by local outlets, 50-year-old Robert Whelan told buyers that, as a New England Patriots season-ticket holder, he had priority access to group purchases for matches at Gillette Stadium and acted as an intermediary through whom payments had to pass. Investigators say the tickets never materialized and that none of the buyers received refunds.
Fabricated Confirmation And Pension Email
Prosecutors say Whelan sent a confirmation email that used a New England Patriots logo and directed recipients to Ticketmaster. Police determined a legitimate FIFA World Cup confirmation would have carried FIFA branding and pointed users to FIFA's official ticketing platform. When tickets did not arrive, Whelan allegedly offered various explanations — including that orders were flagged for fraud — and then supplied a screenshot of an email claiming a $157,000 withdrawal from his Somerville retirement account had been approved.
Michael Pasquariello, director of the Somerville Retirement Board, told investigators he did not write the email and that no such withdrawal took place. He also said an active city employee could not remove funds from the retirement account in the way the screenshot described.
Investigation, Arrest And Defense
Patch reported that the Patriots did not list anyone named Robert Whelan among their season-ticket holders. Police arrested Whelan on July 30; he was arraigned Aug. 3 in Somerville District Court and pleaded not guilty to charges including larceny by false pretense (exceeding $250), forgery and uttering a false instrument. Those are allegations — no conviction or restitution order has been entered.
Whelan was released on personal recognizance and placed on paid administrative leave from the Somerville Fire Department while the case is pending. His attorney, Sean Delaney, told the court that Whelan himself had been deceived by a ticket broker who previously obtained tickets for him and his family.
Consumer Warning And Next Steps
FIFA advises that legitimate World Cup ticket purchases completed during an official sales phase generate a confirmation email from FIFA Ticketing containing a purchase number and that FIFA.com/tickets is the official source. The organization warns that tickets bought through unofficial channels may be fraudulent, invalid, resold to multiple people, or canceled.
Anyone who paid for tickets that never arrived should contact their bank, credit-card issuer or payment service immediately to explore dispute or recall options, and report suspected ticket fraud to local police and via ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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