*Federal authorities have sued REPS & Company, a San Diego ticket broker accused of bypassing purchase limits to resell millions of tickets at inflated prices. The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission filed the lawsuit Thursday, according to the New York Post.
The alleged operation affected some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Beyoncé, Post Malone and Luke Bryan. At one Beyoncé Renaissance tour concert in Kansas City in 2023, REPS allegedly used 1,300 accounts to purchase 7,624 tickets. The company then made $833,000 in profit reselling those seats, according to the FTC.
Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, criticized the company’s alleged practices.
“REPS’ entire business model is focused on trying to game the ticket-purchasing system in order to obtain as many tickets as possible to resell at inflated prices to consumers,” he said.
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According to the complaint, REPS relied on workers in the Philippines to buy tickets through numerous accounts. Those accounts used other people’s names, addresses, and phone numbers. Each worker operated an average of 19 accounts, while one person’s identity was connected to 40. The company also allegedly used technology to hide buyers’ identities and locations.
Employees reportedly followed an “error bible” that explained how to get around Ticketmaster’s security measures. Meanwhile, thousands of SIM cards and virtual credit cards helped the company create additional accounts.
Internal documents described efforts to keep accounts “less likely to be flagged, allowing for smoother and faster transactions.”
REPS also allegedly tracked artists’ popularity and monitored ticket resale prices. This helped the company identify popular events where tickets could generate the highest profits.
Between January 2022 and October 2025, REPS allegedly exceeded ticket limits at more than 83,500 events. Prosecutors say the company spent over $1.3 billion buying more than 18.5 million tickets. The company then allegedly earned at least $120.8 million in profits through resale platforms such as StubHub and SeatGeek.
Federal officials argue that these practices prevented ordinary fans from purchasing tickets at their original prices.
“Defendants’ actions injured consumers who otherwise may have been able to purchase those tickets in the first instance from ticket issuers at lower prices,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit also names CEO Ryan Pancheri, President Brian Archibald and COO Nicholas Totagrande. All three face allegations of violating the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, which prohibits bypassing online ticket limits.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate emphasized the Justice Department’s commitment to enforcing the law.
“The Justice Department is committed to holding accountable individuals and businesses that drive up the cost of event tickets by illegally exceeding ticket purchase limits and reselling those unlawfully obtained tickets with exorbitant markups,” he said.
The lawsuit seeks civil penalties, monetary relief, and a ban on future violations.
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