A former ticket manager for the Phoenix Suns has pleaded guilty to selling more than 2,800 tickets to the team through a third party and agreed to pay the team more than $400,000.
Jeffrey Marcussen, who worked for the Suns from 2004 to 2019, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 7 on felony fraud and theft charges. In the plea agreement submitted to the judge, prosecutors have asked for a year in jail instead of the maximum 13 year sentence for the charges. The Arizona Attorney General's anti-racketeering revolving fund and the Arizona Department of Revenue must be paid by Marcussen.
The matter involving Marcussen is unrelated to the NBA investigation into the Phoenix Suns.
Marcussen was indicted in September 2020 on four felonies, including two counts for filing false tax returns. Marcussen is accused of selling the tickets on StubHub without authorization. The Suns do not sell tickets on the platform.
StubHub contacted the NBA when it discovered five different Stub Hub accounts all linked to the Defendant, prosecutors wrote in a November 2020 response to Marcussen's motion to modify release conditions and to travel out of state. The bank records confirmed that the Defendant received a total amount of money from Stub Hub.
Suns employees were notified via a company-wide email in late June that Marcussen was no longer employed by the team, though no reason was stated in the email. Marcussen was listed as the assistant director in the media guide.
Neither the Suns nor the Arizona Attorney General responded to questions.
Mark Kokanovich said in a statement that Marcussen worked for the Phoenix Suns for 20 years. Jeff began selling tickets without the approval of the Suns after his brother was murdered. Jeff admitted to the sales and reimbursed the team.
Thomas, Marcussen's brother, was killed.
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