Former Microsoft Employee Allegedly Made $200K Selling Company Super Bowl Tickets

Instead of distributing the tickets, in January 2017, Jeff Tran allegedly sold over 60 tickets through a broker and pocketed more than $200,000.

Microsoft's former director of sports marketing and alliances was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury for five counts of wire fraud, according to a DOJ press release.

The release states that Jeff Tran, 45, allegedly used his position to steal more than $1.5 million through the creation and submission of fraudulent invoices and the unauthorized use of other Microsoft assets.

According to the indictment, Tran was responsible for determining which employees would receive company Super Bowl tickets. But instead of distributing the tickets, in January 2017, Tran sold over 60 tickets through a broker and pocketed more than $200,000. He also allegedly made $12,400 by selling to an employee who thought he bought the tickets himself.

Tran was caught after he allegedly "caused a fraudulent $775,000 invoice to be issued to Microsoft, supposedly for services related to the 2017 Super Bowl." He routed the money indirectly to his personal bank account. When confronted, he claimed he was hacked and destroyed evidence.

"When we learned of Mr. Tran’s conduct we investigated, terminated his employment, and then referred the matter to law enforcement," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to Sports Illustrated.

Tran helped manage a parternship that made Microsoft Surface the "official tablet" of the NFL, according to The Verge.

Tran will be arraigned in the U.S. District Court in Seattle in the next 10 days. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.