Longtime Des Moines sports radio host Marty Tirrell faces up to 20 years in prison after taking a plea deal in fraud case Friday.
According to The Des Moines Register, Tirrell was accused earlier this year of a defraud scheme that lost people more than $1 million between September 2016 to December 2017. He pleaded guilty Friday to one count of mail fraud. His nine other counts of fraud were dismissed, federal court records show.
At his sentencing, scheduled for April 7, Tirrell could face a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release in addition to prison time, court records show.
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| Marty Tirrell |
Tirrell, who appeared on Mediacom's local cable shows and hosted popular talk shows for years on stations including KXNO 1460 AM, told the investors he could buy sports tickets with their money, resell them, and then split any profit with them, according to federal court records.
To gain investors' trust, Tirrell began by giving them back their invested money along with profits, as promised, as well as VIP access to sporting events. But Tirrell eventually started lying to the victims, using their money on personal items or to pay back other investors.
He just needed more time to pay other investors, he told them. He also sent them checks he knew would bounce to provide victims with false wire transfer information, according to court documents.
The radio host was previously the defendant in numerous civil lawsuits that alleged similar scams — online Iowa court records include at least 24 small claims and other civil actions against him.
He was charged with felony theft in 2017 in connection with not paying for a flight he took with eight friends to the last game of the World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians the previous fall. The charge was dropped after Tirrell paid the bill.
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