Police say a Matawan man has pleaded guilty to a scam in which he conned people into paying for New York Giants season tickets that he didn't actually possess.

Judges Gavel (Kuzma, ThinkStock)
Judges Gavel (Kuzma, ThinkStock)
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John Gorman, 49, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of theft by deception after admitting to a Superior Court judge that he took money from several victims for season tickets he did not own to see the Giants play at MetLife Stadium, authorities said.

"The scam followed the team’s 2008 Super Bowl win and succeeding regular seasons," Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said in a statement Tuesday.

According to the prosecutor, an investigation conducted in 2014 revealed that 19 tri-state area victims were duped out of $116,000 total between Nov. 9, 2008 and July 31, 2010. Authorities say the individuals paid Gorman, but never actually received the tickets they were promised for the 2010 football season.

"Gorman, as a season ticket holder for the New York Giants football team, fraudulently represented he had season ticket seats for sale," authorities said.

The prosecutor said Gorman also "fraudulently represented the season ticket program information sent to him by the Giants by displaying documents to the victims detailing he personally possessed 28 seats."

The prosecutor said in a statement that Gorman's plea agreement recommends that the second degree charge be treated as a third degree offense "for sentencing purposes." When Gorman is sentenced on Sept. 16 in Ocean County, prosecutors will be recommending a 5-year custodial term in a New Jersey state prison. Gorman will also have to make restitution in the amount of $116,650.

"The plea agreement was structured to allow Judge Roe to consider less prison time if the defendant paid a significant portion of restitution prior to the sentence date," the prosecutor said.

Toniann Antonelli is a social content producer for NJ 101.5. She can be reached at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.

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