Two weeks ago, Georgia businessman Ketan Shah was accused of scamming almost a dozen people out of over $750,000 when he promised to sell them Super Bowl tickets, then simply vanished. Victims included several of his family and friends, most notably his own mother, who is out $36,000, and one of Shah’s richer pals, who paid $500,000 for “a chance to host an arena Super Bowl event.” Shah, who had been missing since December, was finally caught last week, and rudeness might’ve been what did him in.
Shah was arrested last week in California and is in the process of being extradited back to Georgia, per police. Cops say they followed his trail from Atlanta through Miami, Alabama, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Las Vegas, and, finally, Southern California. Last Monday, Shah and a girlfriend apparently went to the spa at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, where they were rude to 19-year-old spa concierge David Halliday. Halliday told ABC News 10 San Diego that Shah was being rude and demanding to cut in front of a line:
“He came in with his girlfriend,” Halliday said. “Just from the offset, he seemed a bit different from the usual guests we have in the spa.”
Halliday also found it unusual that Shah was paying with cash. Feeling like he might have seen Shah somewhere before, Halliday googled his name.
The cops were alerted, and Shah was arrested by Riverside County Sheriff’s officers. Gwinnett County authorities announced that Shah was charged with one count of felony theft by conversion, although there may be additional charges.
The lesson here is that teens, when provoked, will use the internet to destroy you.
H/t to Joe