A Massachusetts man was sentenced in federal court on Thursday on wire and mail fraud charges for a scheme in which he advertised Superbowl tickets over the Internet, collected approximately $255,000 from customers, and then never provided either the tickets or refunds, according to a press release issued by U.S. Attorney.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and Peter Zegarac, Postal Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in New England, announced that MICHAEL R. DEPPE, age 20, of Hudson, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV, to 6 years and 6 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. DEPPE was also ordered to pay a $12,500 fine as well as $520,000 in restitution to his victims. The Court also ordered DEPPE to forfeit $370,000, including the $11,000 in cash that was found in his residence at the time of his arrest. Following a seven-day trial, on May 2, 2006, a jury convicted DEPPE of 3 counts of Wire Fraud and 2 counts of Mail Fraud.

According to the press release, evidence presented at trial proved that DEPPE's Superbowl ticket scam began approximately two weeks before the February 6, 2005 Superbowl, when DEPPE suggested to his business partner that they sell Superbowl tickets over online auction site eBay. DEPPE falsely told his partner that he had a contact at a reputable ticket agency in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and that this person was willing to let him sell Superbowl tickets on commission.