US alleges REPS & Company bought 18.5 million tickets by evading purchase limits

The US Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission filed a civil complaint on October 15 against California ticket broker REPS & Company and three executives, alleging they evaded purchase limits to acquire millions of tickets for resale. The case, filed in federal court in Southern California, concerns access to tickets for concerts and other popular events; the allegations have not been decided in court.

The complaint names Ryan Pancheri, Brian Archibald and Nicholas Totagrande alongside the company. According to the Justice Department, the defendants spent more than $1.3 billion to acquire over 18.5 million tickets and generated at least $120.8 million in profit. Those figures are the government's allegations, not court findings.

How the alleged ticket purchases worked

Rolling Stone reported that the complaint covers concerts, Broadway shows and college sports, among other events. It identified StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, Gametime and Ticketmaster's resale platform as outlets used to resell tickets. The scope of the alleged purchases means the case reaches beyond any single artist or venue.

Beyoncé and Pitbull concerts cited in the complaint

For Beyoncé's Renaissance tour concert at Arrowhead Stadium on October 1, 2023, prosecutors allege REPS used at least 1,300 accounts to buy 7,624 tickets through Ticketmaster, despite a stated limit of four to eight tickets per purchaser. Rolling Stone reported that the complaint puts the resulting resale profit at approximately $833,323.

Prosecutors also allege the company used at least 700 accounts to buy 5,430 tickets through Ticketmaster for a Pitbull concert in Syracuse on September 7, 2024. Rolling Stone reported an alleged resale profit of approximately $120,109 from those tickets, which represented nearly one-third of the venue's capacity.

Rolling Stone said its attempts to reach a REPS spokesperson were not immediately successful. The United States is represented in the case by the Justice Department's Civil Division, working with the FTC. The department says the complaint's claims are allegations and that there has been no determination of liability.