Following a court appearance when he was first charged in September, Carton pulled a hoodie over his head in an attempt to avoid media-members. Yesterday, the former WFAN host was more prepared.
“I am unequivocally not guilty of what I’m being charged with,” Carton told reporters.
“I was shocked when I was arrested, and even more surprised that the government was accusing me of running a complete sham as they put it, and also saying that I had quote ‘no deals to purchase any tickets at all.’ Their words, not mine.”
Reading from a prepared statement Carton continued: “The real fact is that my business was licensed by the State of New York to sell tickets. The real fact is that I bought and sold thousands of tickets at arenas no more than a few miles from where I stand right now and had pending deals in place to buy and sell many more,” he continued. “The real fact, that you guys couldn’t possibly know, is that about a week and a half ago the government conceded to my lawyers that I had a legitimate ticket-selling business, and that I’ve been selling tickets for a long time.”
Before leaving in a black SUV, Carton closed with, “I fully intend to see this all the way to a not guilty verdict from a jury of my peers.
Upon being arrested in September, Carton was charged with securities and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit those offenses. The former co-host of the popular Boomer and Carton morning show was accused of convincing investors he and co-defendant Michael Wright had access to blocks of tickets at major events that could be resold for a profit. According to a federal investigation, the received money was then used to pay previous investors and Carton’s gambling debts.
Carton remains free on $500,000 bond and will appear at his next court hearing scheduled for November 30th, a trial date has not been set.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
