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St. Pete man charged with fraud over Super Bowl tickets

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TBO.com

Published: July 10, 2009

Thomas Coelho

A St. Petersburg man was arrested Thursday, accused of taking a woman's Super Bowl tickets, ostensibly to sell them on her behalf, and then failing to return to her any money for them.

Thomas Coelho, 40, of 555 Ninth Ave. N.E., was charged with scheme to defraud. Bail was set at $100,000.

Coelho, representing himself as a ticket broker, agreed to take $115,000 worth of Super Bowl tickets from a woman with the idea he would sell them on her behalf on StubHub, according to his arrest affidavit.

He later told her he sold them for $62,750 but then avoided her, the affidavit says. He then offered to give her a promissory note instead of cash, but she refused the note, the affidavit says.

With the woman continuing to demand payment, Coelho agreed to meet her and paid her with two checks from a Wachovia bank account, but the checks bounced, and the woman lost $62,750, the affidavit says.

The scheme began Jan. 19 and proceeded through the end of April, the affidavit says.

Coelho is wanted in two states for similar frauds, the affidavit says.

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