Cited for Ticket Scalping in Las Vegas, Nevada

[PoorUniStudent]

A few months ago, I bought three tickets for a concert in Las Vegas for myself and two of my closest friends. Complications arose the day before the concert and one of my friends told me that he would be unable to go to Las Vegas. I couldn't find anyone else who wanted come with me to Las Vegas on such short notice, so I decided that I would try to sell the extra ticket.

Once my other friend and I got to the event location in Las Vegas, I immediately began asking around if anybody needed a ticket. A man approached me and asked how much I wanted for it. I said $120. (That was the amount I paid for the ticket online from a secondary ticket seller. The face value of the ticket was $55. I just wanted to make up the money I spent buying the ticket). He said OK and told me to follow him.

We walked about 50 feet and he showed me a badge and told me he was a police officer and that I was guilty of ticket scalping.

I received a misdemeanor citation and was told to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court in about a month and a half.

Here are my questions:

1.) Do I seriously have to go all the way back to Las Vegas just to plead guilty or not guilty? Is there anyway I can plead via mail? Can I have a trial by written declaration? Can I request to have the case moved to a courthouse closer to my home (Orange, CA)?

2.) Do I have a chance at fighting this citation?

Here is the county code prohibiting ticket scalping:

12.38.020 - Ticket scalping prohibited.

Any person who, without the written permission of the owner, operator or manager of the property on which an entertainment or sporting event is to be held or is being held, sells a ticket of admission to the entertainment or sporting event at a price which is in excess of the price that is printed or endorsed upon the ticket is guilty of a misdemeanor.

My questions is this: What constitutes a sale of a ticket? The ticket or money never changed hands. He simply agreed to the price I gave him and told me to follow him to what I assumed would have been an ATM. I know this is a real long shot, but can I not argue that a sale never occurred and therefore I could not be charged with violating this county code?

I looked at the county codes for the sale of drugs and found that the code explicitly outlaws both the selling and INTENT of selling of drugs. The code on scalping only outlaws the sale of a ticket for over face value.

Thank you for reading about my predicament. I humbly ask for any advice from you guys.

 

[cyjeff]

Let's wait for someone else on the first... I am not overly familiar with LV procedure...

As to the second, the offer and acceptance of your price was enough. They did not have to hand you money then flash a badge and immediately take the money back.

LV is really cracking down on scalping.