McCartney Times

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Entertainment featuring Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and even Harry Potter are now part of a U.S. regulator’s expanded lawsuit accusing two New York men of running a Ponzi scheme centered on the resale of tickets to events such as the smash Broadway musical “Hamilton.”In an amended civil complaint filed on Tuesday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Joseph Meli, 42, and Matthew Harriton, 52, raised more than $97 million from at least 138 investors in 17 U.S. states as part of their scheme.That is up from $81 million raised from at least 125 investors in 13 states when the alleged fraud was made public in January. A lawyer for Meli did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Daniel Horwitz, a lawyer for Harriton, said: “We believe the evidence will show that Matt Harriton was a victim.”The SEC said Meli and Harriton typically told investors to expect 10 percent returns plus a stake in profits from bulk purchases and resales of tickets to events such as “Hamilton” and a concert by the British singer Adele.

Source: SEC’s ‘Hamilton’ Ponzi case expands to Dylan, McCartney, Harry Potter | News | 1450 WHTC