An Alpharetta man who duped fans and investors out of nearly $1 million, including by selling fake University of Georgia football tickets, was sentenced last Thursday to four years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Michael Brown also ordered three years of supervised release and roughly $948,104.91 in restitution to the victims.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 43-year-old Matthew Neet of Alpharetta told the court he turned to fraud under mounting financial pressure and has been detained since October 2024. The outlet reports the sentence was handed down last week and that the judge ordered restitution to roughly two dozen people.
Prosecutors say the scheme ran for three years
Court filings and a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release state the scheme ran from September 2021 until October 2024, when investigators stepped in. Prosecutors say Neet blended bogus real-estate pitches promising teak and timberland investments in Costa Rica with offers of hard-to-get event tickets, then used investor and buyer funds for personal expenses, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
How victims were targeted
Investigators say Neet advertised his supposed deals by email and other online channels, collecting payments from about two dozen people who never saw the tickets or investments they paid for. Local reporting indicates his arrest followed a 2024 traffic stop in Louisiana tied to alleged sales of counterfeit tickets, and court records show he pleaded guilty in January to a federal wire-fraud count, per WSB-TV.
Sentence and restitution
Neet entered his guilty plea as part of a plea agreement and received a 48-month prison sentence, followed by three years of supervised release. The judge ordered $948,104.91 in restitution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal prosecuted the case and that the FBI led the investigation, according to the same U.S. Department of Justice release.
What this means for fans
Ticket scams remain a stubborn problem around Atlanta game days, and officials are again urging fans to stick with verified sellers and payment methods that offer buyer protections. A recent Hoodline report on fake seats and sure-thing bets breaks down common schemes and the precautions investigators recommend.
Prosecutors say they will continue working to recover funds for victims while warning fans to verify sellers before sending money. More details on the case are available from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the U.S. Attorney’s Office release.
