Concert Con Artist Busted
Dallas man lands in jail after elaborate scheme to sneak backstage at Jay Z concert
If you were considering sneaking into a concert at American Airlines Center, let the case of John Henry Johnson dissuade you. Although Johnson started the evening of December 21 as a VIP at Jay Z's concert, the 45-year-old man ended it in a jail cell.
Using a counterfeit pass, Johnson successfully got past the first security checkpoint at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Johnson's "Magna Carter All Access World Tour Pass" identified him as Gian Carlo Donatelli, a national director for Universal Music Group in Italy.
Johnson was able to sign into the AAC at 6 pm, half an hour before the doors opened to the public on December 21. Smooth-talking Gian Carlo Donatelli told security he'd been with Universal Music for 20 years. A security manager quickly identified Johnson's pass as a fake. He was arrested at 6:30 pm for criminal trespassing and failing to properly identify himself.
According to police, Johnson had multiple fake IDs bearing Donatelli's name and arrived with a two-person entourage. The men with Johnson claimed they knew him only as Gian Carlo Donatelli; they were given a trespassing warning and allowed to leave the building.
Johnson is no stranger to stretching the truth. Records indicate he's previously been arrested a handful of times in Dallas County for forgery and theft.