Published: January 04, 2008 12:26 am      

Lone Oak woman draws penalty in NFL ticket scam

GREENVILLE — Michelle Lynn Cleveland won’t be selling any fake football tickets on the Internet any more, nor will she be selling anything else on the Web for the next few years.

Cleveland entered guilty pleas Thursday to multiple counts of fraud, money laundering and felony theft, was placed on probation and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in restitution.

Cleveland, 37, of Lone Oak, was charged last year after two people who thought they were going to be sitting on the sidelines and watching their favorite National Football League teams said they were scammed by Cleveland, who sold them non-existent tickets and kept their money.

Cleveland was also alleged to have participated in a scheme to steal money from her former employer. She was indicted by the Hunt County grand jury in August of last year on charges of money laundering/felony theft, felony theft, tampering with a government record and fraudulent possession of identification information.

Cleveland pleaded guilty to all counts Thursday and was placed on five years of deferred adjudication probation, was ordered to pay almost $8,700 in restitution to her victims and was ordered by 354th District Court Judge Richard A. Beacom not to sell any more Philadelphia Eagles tickets online, or make any online sales during the length of her probation.

Two of the felony theft indictments alleged Cleveland had advertised she had NFL tickets for sale on the “Craigslist” Web site.

In April of 2006, a man sent more than $3,000 to an intermediary for Philadelphia Eagles season tickets, but never received the tickets nor a copy of the ownership rights to the tickets. Investigators with the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office later tracked the sale to Cleveland, who reportedly said she was desperate for money to pay for her mother-in-law’s funeral.

A short time later, a second alleged victim came forward, noting he had paid Cleveland $600 in January 2006 for four Seattle Seahawks playoff tickets offered over the Internet, which he never received.

Cleveland was also accused in the indictments of stealing checks dedicated for her employer and depositing the funds into an account which carried her name and that of the company. Cleveland was also alleged to have stolen checks from her fellow employees and using the name and notary public seal belonging to another person, during a series of incidents between Aug. 3, 2005 and April 11, 2006.

Deferred adjudication carries no finding of guilt, although those defendants who are found to have violated a deferred probation are subject to being sentenced to the maximum punishment.

All of the charges were listed as state jail level felonies, each carrying a maximum sentence upon conviction of from 180 days to two years in a state jail and an optional fine of up to $10,000.