Massachusetts Firefighter Faces Charges in $14K Ticket Fraud

WHO:

Boston 25 News - Robert Whelan, a 50-year-old firefighter for the Somerville Fire Department.

WCVB - Middlesex County District Attorney's Office.

WHAT:

Boston 25 News - Whelan is charged with larceny over $250 by false pretense, forgery of a document, and uttering a false instrument.

WCVB - Whelan allegedly stole more than $14,000 from multiple victims in a fake FIFA World Cup ticket scheme.

Boston 25 News - Whelan accepted $14,000 in return for promised World Cup tickets that were never provided.

WCVB - Whelan created false email confirmations for tickets that were never delivered.

WHERE:

Boston 25 News - Somerville, Massachusetts.

WCVB - Somerville District Court.

WHEN:

Boston 25 News - Whelan is expected to appear in Somerville District Court on Monday.

WHY:

WCVB - Whelan claimed he had priority access to buy World Cup tickets in bulk due to his status as a Patriots season ticket holder.

HOW:

Boston 25 News - Whelan created fake email confirmations to deceive victims after receiving their money.

WCVB - When pressured by victims, Whelan falsely claimed he would withdraw $157,000 from his pension fund to repay them and created a fake email from the president of the pension board to support his claim.

(UPDATED August 2, 2026 04:26 UTC)

A Somerville firefighter, Robert Whelan, has been charged with larceny over $250 by false pretense, forgery, and uttering a false instrument after allegedly stealing over $14,000 from victims in a fake FIFA World Cup ticket scheme. Whelan reportedly accepted money for tickets that were never delivered and created false email confirmations to deceive his victims, even claiming he would withdraw $157,000 from his pension fund to repay them. He is expected to appear in Somerville District Court on Monday.