TRENTON – Attorney General Peter C. Harvey today announced a $30,000 settlement with a Pennsylvania man who allegedly scalped tickets to a benefit concert starring Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. The settlement includes $7,500 for the charity benefitted by the concert.

In May 2004, the Attorney General and Division of Consumer Affairs sued Chris Lipton of Levittown, Pa., a licensed ticket broker who operates Palmyra-based A Good Time Tickets, Inc., concerning his resale of tickets to the Hope Concert, which benefitted Robert Bandiera, Jr., son of guitarist Bobby Bandiera, who plays with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.

Jeffrey Burstein, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, said the suit alleged that Lipton resold tickets to the Hope Concert for amounts that far exceeded the state-allowed mark-up. For example, Lipton allegedly sold two tickets to an undercover Consumer Affairs investigator for $1,850 each, or $1,550 more than each ticket’s $300 face value. On another occasion, Lipton allegedly sold two tickets for $1,500 each. State law prohibits ticket brokers from reselling tickets for admission to a place of entertainment in New Jersey at a premium in excess of 50 percent of the price paid to acquire the tickets, plus lawful taxes.

"The public should not be extorted simply because it wants to attend an event showcasing extraordinary artists," Attorney General Harvey said. "People who buy tickets for resale can make a profit, but they cannot gouge others."

"We’ve ensured by this settlement that the defendant did not profit from his actions," said Acting Director Burstein. "The person for whom the concert was held will be the one to benefit."

As part of the agreement, Lipton will pay $7,500 to the Rock and Roll Music Fund, a charitable organization established to benefit Bandiera, Jr. The State will collect $22,500 as a penalty and to cover the costs of its investigation. Lipton has agreed to follow certain procedures designed to resolve future consumer complaints against him or his company in a timely manner. Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Koziar of the Division of Law handled this case for the State.

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