3 People Arrested In Colts Ticket Bust

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Metro police arrested three men during the Colts game against New England on Sunday in a fraudulent ticket bust that officials think is far-reaching.

The men, all from Atlanta, also sold fake tickets during the Super Bowl and were involved in an operation that spanned several states and has become the focus of an FBI investigation, police said.

Police said as many as 40 fans bought fake tickets from the men before Sunday's game, WRTV-TV in Indianapolis reported.

The tickets looked very convincing. Some of them had hard-to-duplicate holograms. Investigators said they found 195 fake tickets to Sunday's game and more than 100 others to various pro and college games all over the country.

Officials said the Colts-Patriots tickets were selling on the street for up to $275 each.

"We had been having problems here in Indianapolis as well as other NFL sites with counterfeit tickets," said IMPD Lt. Jeff Duhamell. "We had a big problem back at Super Bowl time, and we believe that these individuals were directly involved."

Police said Eric North, 36; Archie Blair, 46; and Dwight Wilcoxson, 48, all of Atlanta, are part of a counterfeiting ring that involves as many as 30 other people. They were pulled over on suspicion of speeding at about 5 p.m.

"It was excellent police work with the officers that just initiated from a traffic stop," Duhamell said. "We hope this puts a dent in it."

Most of the people who bought the fake tickets are not from the Indianapolis area. Two of the victims used cell phone cameras to take a picture of the man who sold them their tickets.

Police said that was a good idea, but the victims would have been better off buying tickets from a broker.

"It's pretty sad, especially for those individuals that fly in and pay the money for airfare -- and them come in here and can't even get in," Duhamell said.

Investigators said they found several hundred dollars in cash in the car that was stopped and found that the driver's license was suspended.

The men will be charged in Indiana and could be charged in other states, pending the FBI investigation, police said.