Two more people and a business entity pleaded guilty Thursday in Allegheny County Court to felony charges for their roles in schemes to defraud Tickets for Kids, officials say.
Jacob Mazzie, Quan Britt and Steel City Tickets illegally obtained more than 22,000 event tickets with a combined face value exceeding $760,000, which they then sold for a profit, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.
Based in Blawnox, Tickets for Kids gives kids free access to arts, cultural, educational and athletic experiences.
The alleged schemes involved six individuals and two business entities that used business fronts to acquire free tickets to games and other events, the AG’s office says. The tickets were subsequently sold for lucrative profits by the conspirators, exploiting the organization for personal financial gain.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> 3 people charged with reselling tickets meant for kids in need face judge for first time
Mazzie, 27, pleaded guilty to felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and criminal use of a communication facility. He paid full restitution of $34,119 and was sentenced to two years of probation.
Steel City Tickets, a ticket broker company, pleaded guilty to felony dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity. The company will pay a $25,000 fine.
Britt, 49, pleaded guilty to multiple felony counts, including deceptive business practices, theft by deception, receiving stolen property and criminal use of a communication facility. He will be sentenced at a later date.
“These defendants targeted a charity that provided joyous experiences to low-income and at-risk children and exploited the organization to line their own pockets,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “Defendants pleaded guilty today to felony charges and were ordered to make the organization whole, financially.”
Three other defendants in the scheme pleaded guilty earlier this year: Mary Henning, Todd Hall and Kevin Riley.
Another defendant, Ramona Wilkes, is scheduled to begin her trial on Thursday, while Hope 4 Johnstown has a trial scheduled for August.
In a statement, Tickets for Kids Executive Director Brandice Miller said, “We are pleased with the outcomes of yesterday’s proceedings and thankful to the Pennsylvania State Police and the Office of the Attorney General for their work and dedication. While we could have chosen to handle the fraud quietly and internally, as a nonprofit that serves hundreds of nonprofits in the Pittsburgh region and thousands nationally, we decided to handle the fraud that we discovered legally to stand up for the nonprofit community as a whole and show those looking to take advantage that this behavior is not only unacceptable, but also that abuse of the nonprofit community that our friends and neighbors rely on will not be taken lightly.”
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
