Ticket touts nabbed
Published:Saturday | July 3, 2010 | 12:00 AM
JOHANNESBURG (AP):A Briton and an American have been arrested for ticket touting at the World Cup.
South Africa police said yesterday that a weeklong investigation resulted in the arrests of 38-year-old Karen Sorenson and 39-year-old Brendan Evans, a Zimbabwe-born US citizen, at their hotel in Sandton, north of Johannesburg.
Thursday's arrests were on charges of illegally selling and distributing World Cup hospitality packages in contravention of South Africa's Trade Practices Act and the Unfair Business Practices Act, which covers ticket sales and distribution.
World Cup court
Sorenson and Evans appeared in a special World Cup court on Thursday evening and were each granted US$2,000 bail each.
They are due to reappear in court on July 28.
Police spokesman Col Vishnu Naidoo told The Associated Press that 122 World Cup tickets had been seized, some in the pair's possession and some in their hotel rooms.
Naidoo also said police confiscated laptops and cellphones.
"The only people who are allowed to be selling World Cup tickets are Match," Naidoo said, referring to FIFA's official ticketing agent.