Springfield–(ENEWSPF)–March 27, 2013. Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed a lawsuit against an Illinois man for scamming Springfield area businesses and residents to pay for sponsorships and tickets to martial arts events that never occurred.
Madigan filed the lawsuit in Sangamon County Circuit Court against John Dickerson, of Virginia, Ill., for conning businesses and area residents into paying to sponsor mixed martial arts events that never took place.
Madigan alleges Dickerson sold more than $1,200 worth of tickets for phony events at Glenwood High School in Chatham and at the University of Illinois at Springfield campus. As the events drew closer, Dickerson canceled or supposedly delayed the events.
Consumers who inquired with the high school or college campus were told no such event was planned. Madigan said after many consumers contacted Dickerson for refunds of $15-$25 per ticket, he ceased all contact. A Springfield area business that paid Dickerson $500 to co-sponsor an event also never received a refund.
“Dozens of Springfield area residents paid for what they thought were legitimate events only to discover it was a scam,” Madigan said. “My office has filed this lawsuit in an attempt to recoup the money they lost to this scam.”
The Attorney General’s lawsuit asks the court to require Dickerson to pay restitution to consumers affected by the scam and asks the court to impose civil penalties on the defendant.
Madigan urged consumers who may have been victimized by this scam to contact her office’s Consumer Fraud hotline at 1-800-243-0618.
Assistant Attorney General Philip Heimlich is handling the case for Madigan’s Consumer Fraud Bureau.
Source: illinoisattorneygeneral.gov
