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<strong>PART II: </strong>David Bunevacz dragged into Winter Olympics ticket scam


On the heels of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, which concluded last February 28, is a ticket scam which reportedly involves Filipino-Hungarian David Bunevacz (main photo) and American Gene Hammett (inset).

Noel Orsal (main); Plaxo.com (inset)

PART II: David Bunevacz dragged into Winter Olympics ticket scam

Mark Angelo Ching

Sunday, March 7, 2010
01:04 AM

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The hubbub involving David Bunevacz and Gene Hammett stemmed from the tickets that never arrived.

 

Both parties gave their versions of the stories, but a lot of questions remain unanswered: Who over-promised and who under-delivered?

 

Was it Hammett, who signed a $1.4 million deal with two online brokers?

 

Was it Bunevacz, who told The Seattle Times that he has "more than 17,000 tickets"—a number way over the allotment given to the authorized ticket agency?

 

The Seattle Times wrote that "Olympic leaders have long suspected that some countries' Olympic officials and their authorized ticket agencies have sold tickets illicitly. The Olympic movement's inability to police sales of tickets provided to NOCs (national Olympic committees—each of which is supposed to dole out tickets only to its own nation's officials, athletes and fans—has allowed a thriving black market to flourish and push up prices."

 

At present, the International Olympic Committee is investigating if some officials violated the ticketing policies by releasing a certain number of tickets that went beyond the allotment.

 

In The Seattle Times, Hammett claimed that despite issuing "more than $2.9 million dollars of his and his customers' money" to Bunevacz, no phone call and tickets from the latter came.

 

In Bunevacz's complaint, which was filed last March 4, the Filipino-Hungarian former decathlete stated: "The buyer fails to pay the full amount owed, and thus the seller refuses to deliver the goods."

 

ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT OF NOCS. In their e-mail exchange, which was published (and some uploaded as a PDF, or Portable Document Fomat, file) by The Seattle Times, Bunevacz told Gene Hammett he has been working closely with "representatives of Hungary, France, Germany, and Italy," paying them "kickbacks" to collect tickets for the Winter Olympics. He said he has also been "negotiating with Hungary and Spain for the 2012 Games in London."

 

The broadsheet also wrote that Bunevacz reportedly e-mailed this to Hammett: "I would not be entertaining these guys unless I knew it would be worth millions in profit...I don't mind paying huge kickbacks as long as contracts are signed and goods delivered."

 

Bunevacz's e-mail dated September 2008 affirmed, "Our current contracts with various NOCs will cover the majority of your ticket request."

 

But before the tickets were delivered, Hammett "would also have to shoulder the expenses for the purported trip of Olympic officials to  Vancouver and Whistler," including "airfare, hotel suites, spa treatments, food, mini-bar, souvenirs." A $112,000 invoice and letter from Bunevacz said the NOC officials took a "five-day trip in October 2008... courtesy of Pegazus sport tour."

 

The Seattle Times said the details of the trip were "unclear."

 

"Four Seasons [Hotel] staff confirmed that Joseph and David Bunevacz stayed at their hotels in Whistler and Vancouver during that period. The Times couldn't identify anyone from the Hungarian National Olympic Committee who went on the excursion," said the report.

 

But the secret trip was said to be "essential" to the ticket deal.

 

Bunevacz told Hammett in his letter dated October 30, "Please understand that we are dealing with government officials ... some may not view this trip as 'official business,' it is a delicate situation that takes a lot of patience and understanding as we have done business with most of these people for the past 6 Olympics and would not want unwanted scrutiny to come about because of our relationship."

 

ASSOCIATION WITH AUTHORIZED TICKET AGENT. In his interview with The Seattle Times, Joseph Bunevacz questioned the broadsheet's investigation.

 

"Why are you contacting me? I'm just a little fish, and Hungary is not that big of a country," he said.

 

 The elder Bunevacz said he has been "in the travel business for more than 35 years," and has worked "at a number of Olympics." He added that he is an "outside marketing person for the Hungarian Olympic Committee," and an executive and "problem solver" at Pegazus Sport Tours.

 

Pegazus Sport Tours Deputy CEO Balázs Kamuti, however, said they have already severed ties with Joseph Bunevacz because he "has used the company's name improperly in the past." He had been a "reliable partner 'business' partner since the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics," Kamuti said.

 


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