(CelebrityAccess MediaWire)– Manuel Sanchez, the former president of Ticket Plus in Honolulu, has been charged with theft in the first degree for allegedly stealing $600,000 from the National Football League by selling tickets for the 2003 Pro Bowl and keeping the money.
Sanchez and Ticket Plus was sued by the NFL in September, alleging that it was owed $474,604 for Pro Bowl tickets sold by the company and a $100,000 event sponsorship fee for the 2003 game, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Sanchez said he made one payment of $100,000 to the NFL in August and was trying to get a loan to pay the rest of the amount. John Komeiji, a Honolulu attorney who represents the NFL, said Sanchez had agreed to a judgment of $558,068, including interest and fees, against Ticket Plus Inc., Ticket Plus Hawaii and himself. To date, he has not paid anything.
Ticketmaster purchased Ticket Plus Inc. in March 2003 but kept Sanchez on as general manager of the company's Hawaii operations. Ticketmaster was not named in the NFL's lawsuit. — Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
