A federal jury in Des Moines convicted Martin James Tirrell, 65, on July 17 for 11 counts of wire fraud following a four-day trial. According to public court documents and evidence presented at trial, Tirrell operated a scheme between February 2024 and January 2025 that defrauded multiple individuals by soliciting money under the pretense of buying tickets to high-demand sports and concert events for resale at a profit.
Instead of using the funds as promised, Tirrell used most of the money for gambling, personal expenses, repaying loans, and paying earlier investors. The total amount provided by investors reached several million dollars, with victim investors sustaining combined losses exceeding $1.5 million.
Tirrell was on federal supervised release from a previous mail fraud conviction in 2019 and had been released from his 41-month prison sentence in January 2023. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Tirrell faces up to 20 years in prison on each count; sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering United States sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement regarding the conviction. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, while Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Kerndt and Joseph Lubben prosecuted it.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa handles civil and criminal cases for the United States within its jurisdiction using facilities such as those in the Neal Smith Federal Building in Des Moines as well as courthouses in Davenport and Council Bluffs; it operates under the Department of Justice with a staff including 24 prosecutors who support victims through its services unit, according to the official website.