2010-09-08 / Front Page

Scalper Busted At US Open

By Liz Goff

A Long Island accountant last week was nabbed with 339 US Open tickets worth more than $10,000 stashed in his car and his pockets, authorities said.

Police caught Marvin Schaffer, 61, of Glen Head, offering scalped tickets near the will-call booth at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Stadium around noon on August 31.

Schaffer had four US Open tickets in his pants, 335 tickets in a bag and $750 cash in his pocket when police searched him, authorities said.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said scalping at the US Open is a tradition that needs to be stopped.

“The US Open Tennis Championships is a prestigious international sporting event that draws people from all over the world and has a significant impact on our local economy,” Brown said. “It is vitally important that nothing mars its image in the eyes of the world.”

A search of Schaffer’s BMW also turned up 20 United States Tennis Association parking permits along with 28 permits for New York Jets games.

Schaffer, who does not have a license to resell tickets, faces up to 180 days in jail if convicted.

Schaffer’s defense attorney said he expects the case to be dismissed, but refused to say on what grounds.

“This is all a case of a big misunderstanding,” attorney Alex Bateman said.

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