Craig Carton's claim he is a victim of the fake ticket scheme he is alleged to have helped run is "absurd," according to the attorney for the ticket broker Carton says took him for a ride.
"Joe Meli flatly denies that Craig Carton was a 'victim' of Meli's ticket reselling business and, in fact, Carton received millions of dollars more from Meli than Carton sent to Meli," Daniel Fetterman of Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP said in a statement provided to NJ Advance Media.
"Carton's claim that he is a 'victim' based on a boilerplate victim notification from the Department of Justice is absurd. These boilerplate letters are sweeping notifications that regularly get sent to non-victims and are proof of nothing."
The statement from the Meli camp comes after Carton's attorney released a statement saying Carton was sent a letter by the U.S. Justice Department that states he was "identified by law enforcement as a victim or potential victim" in the ticket scheme Meli is alleged to have operated.
Meli accepted a plea deal on Tuesday, according to acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Joon H. Kim, and will be sentenced on Jan. 31, 2018. Meli faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and a maximum fine of $5,000,000, according to a press release. Meli "agreed to forfeit proceeds of the offense and to pay restitution to the victims of the offense" as part of the deal, according to the release.
Carton's camp says the letter, which is dated Oct. 11 and was obtained by NJ Advance Media, proves his innocence.
"Craig never intended to defraud a single solitary soul. He operated a legitimate, licensed ticket reselling business and had agreements in place with event venues to purchase tickets in large quantities," Carton's attorney, Robert C. Gottlieb of Gottlieb and Janey, LLP, said in a statement.
"Investors and Craig himself were victims of the admitted scammer Joseph Meli who pleaded guilty in Federal court this week to his own fraudulent investment scheme. Meli used and defrauded countless people including Craig Carton."
Carton, 48, was formally indicted Friday on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud in connection with his Sept. 6 arrest for allegedly helping to run a multi-million-dollar ticket scam in order to pay off gambling debts. Carton will be arraigned on Wednesday, Nov. 8 in Manhattan.
Carton will plead not guilty, according to his attorney. Carton has maintained his innocence since his arrest.
James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.