Texas man gets federal prison for Masters golf ticket scheme
A Georgia man was sentenced Monday to more than two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a scheme that used stolen identities to obtain tickets to the Masters golf tournament.
Federal prosecutors say Stephen Michael Freeman, 42, of Athens, and three family members in Texas sold those tickets for a profit.
U.S. District Court Judge Randall Hall in the tournament’s hometown of Augusta sentenced Freeman to 28 months in prison. More than a year had passed since Freeman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. His parents and a sister also entered guilty pleas last year and were sentenced to three years on probation.
As part of their plea deals, the family members agreed to pay a total of nearly $275,500 in restitution. A news release from U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine’s office did not say how many tickets the family obtained or how much they profited from