FARGO, ND (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) – According to the Tribune-Star a man awaiting trial in Vigo County on theft charges has been sentenced in Fargo, N.D., in a case involving an instance similar to the one alleged here.
Scott Elkins, whose age is undetermined, entered a plea Monday in Cass County Court in response to a charge that he defrauded concert fans in an August 2004 event in Fargo.
That plea, said Elkins' attorney Mark Friese, means the defendant agrees the state probably has enough evidence to convict in the case, but that he does not admit to the details of the charge.
Elkins, aka Peter Schwartz, organized a concert in North Dakota and sold tickets for the performer Lil John, to have been staged Aug. 1. The performance did not take place, and Elkins was later arrested and found to possess proceeds from ticket sales.
Friese said Elkins' plea means that he has on record that he did not intend to defraud customers.
North Dakota authorities charged Elkins with theft by deception.
Elkins paid the North Dakota Attorney General's office $12,000 to cover the cost of repaying ticket costs and to administer the repayment.
A felony conviction is entered into his record, Friese said.
The court sentenced Elkins to 45 days in jail, with credit for 20 days served, and to two years supervised probation.
Elkins, using the name Bobby West Productions, sold tickets for an April 2 event at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds. Its last-minute cancellation of a concert featuring the performer Lil' Flip disappointed local Hip Hop fans. Lil' Flip later stated that he never knew about the scheduling, and never intended to be there.
Elkins had his first court appearance in Vigo County on May 23. He is scheduled Dec. 27 for a jury trial in Vigo Superior Court Division 1. Elkins is charged with three counts of theft, a class-D felony.
