Miami Heat Ticket Scam Nets $1M

Miami Heat Ticket Scam Nets $1M

A former Miami-Dade County resident has pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in connection with a multi-million dollar investment scam that yielded a premium Miami Heat ticket package worth $1,055,000.

Haider Zafar, 36, entered a guilty plea in United States District Court in the Southern District of Ohio to five counts of wire fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count.

According to the indictment, Zafar posed as Haider Zafar Haswhani, a member of a wealthy and influential Pakistani family that operated several hotels, textile plants, and oil businesses. He claimed to live in a penthouse in The Essex house in New York, but also had residences at The Setai, the Mondrian, and 10 Museum Park, across the street from the American Airlines Arena.

Using this false persona, Zafar approached a Miami Heat sales executive and fraudulently obtained the premium three-season ticket package. He then used the same scheme to scam several other investors, promising them various investment opportunities and ultimately netting over $3,500,000 in excess of the ticket package.

Zafar was living in Miami-Dade County at the time of the offense. He was incarcerated in Ohio awaiting sentencing on federal fraud charges when he was indicted. The case was transferred to the Southern District of Ohio for him to enter a guilty plea and face sentencing.

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Wifredo A. Ferrer, commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. The case was prosecuted in the Southern District of Florida by Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis M. Pérez, and in the Southern District of Ohio by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dale E. Williams, Jr.