Three defendants charged with selling 390 counterfeit tickets to
the non-profit Gilroy Garlic Festival in July were sentenced
Thursday after pleading guilty to theft charges.
SAN MARTIN – Three defendants charged with selling 390 counterfeit tickets to the non-profit Gilroy Garlic Festival in July pleaded guilty to theft charges Thursday and were sentenced to serve 10 days in county jail, complete 100 hours of community service and pay the Garlic Festival $3,900 in restitution.
Noel Marie Armstrong, 23, of Santa Cruz; Matthew J. Howe, 22, of Gilroy; and Daniel G. Burnham, 22, of Santa Cruz, each plead guilty to misdemeanor theft charges which could’ve resulted in a maximum sentence of one year in jail.
Howe and Burnham admitted to manufacturing the volunteer tickets on a personal computer.
“Because they all had minimum criminal history we felt this sentence was very appropriate,” said Robert Mestman, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case.
All three defendants will have a chance to enter the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s work program instead of spending 10 days in jail.
Spokespersons for the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association were not available to comment on the sentencing.
Armstrong, Howe and Burnham were arrested on July 27 after a tip by a volunteer ticket-taker led to investigation by the Gilroy Police Department revealing the counterfeit scam outside the festival.
The suspects were discovered near several Christmas Hill Park entrances selling the look-alike tickets for half the price of the festival’s $10 admission charge. Volunteers are admitted free of charge.
A total of 390 counterfeit tickets used to gain admission to the festival were recovered by police, which were identical to the tickets found in possession of all three defendants.
