Bucks Co. Man Embezzled $3M In U.S. Open Tickets: Feds

PERKASIE, PA — A Bucks County man is facing more than a dozen charges after federal prosecutors alleged he embezzled $3 million worth of stolen U.S. Open tickets.

Robert Fryer, 39, of Perkasie, is accused of stealing more than 23,000 tickets for the U.S. Golf Association’s signature annual competition between 2013 and 2019 while he worked in the association’s admissions office.

Federal prosecutors allege Fryer started stealing admission tickets ahead of the 2013 U.S. Open at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore.

Fryer earned more than $1 million by selling stolen tickets to third-party brokers, who bought thousands of tickets to each U.S. Open, despite the USGA’s strict 20-ticket limit for those events, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The tickets were valued at more than $3 million.

Fryer allegedly delivered stolen tickets in person and by mail to ticket brokers and their customers, with prosecutors pointing to prepaid shipping labels as evidence of mail fraud.

Fryer was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, four counts of mail fraud, and 10 counts of wire fraud. He faces up to 300 years in prison if he is convicted of each charge and receives the maximum sentence, prosecutors said. He will also be required to repay the USGA if convicted.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said “criminals that conduct ticket schemes like this prey on the excitement surrounding big events.”

“Fans should remember that any item with a low price that seems ‘too good to be true’ should be cause for caution and concern,” Williams said.

“Fraud is simply not the answer if you feel your paycheck isn’t up to par,” said Bradley Benavides, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division.