| NEWS | Merciless from p 8 case prosecutor with Maricopa County. The idea that the judge would have let the trial proceed if Dixon was clearly incompe- tent was “nonsense,” Imbordino said. The court had not evaluated Dixon’s compe- tency, he argued, because there was no glaring need to. The state argued that Dixon’s attorneys had overblown the impacts of his mental illness and incompetency at trial. Attorneys pointed to the fact that Dixon had filed reasonable motions in his case and still appears to understand much of the proceedings against him, despite some irrational views he holds about his own guilt. Méndez, the board’s chair, said that in her reading of the trial transcripts, Dixon had represented himself “very well” during the proceedings against him. “To suggest that he is in a psychosis or he’s delusional is fantasy at best,” said John Schneider, representing the prosecution. “By his own admission, he’s a serial rapist.” James, Bowdoin’s sister, gave an emotional address to the board, requesting that they it Dixon’s petition for clemency. “I’m speaking to you today from the heart,” Oops from p 8 law enforcement investigated the case. The investigation revealed, and bank records confirmed, that the defendant received a total payout from StubHub for $458,218.” Court records cited a company-wide email in June 2019 notifying Suns employees that Marcussen was no longer employed by the team. But at the time, the stated reasons were nebulous. More than one year later, in September 2020, state prosecutors lodged four felony charges against the 44-year-old Cave Creek resident. Marcussen, who served as the Suns’ ticket manager for 15 years, pleaded guilty to one felony count each of theft and fraud in a plea bargain. Those counts usually carry a maximum sentence of 13 years, according to the agreement. If Marcussen had been convicted after a trial, he could have been sentenced to more than two decades in prison. State prosecutor Shawn Steinberg agreed to drop two counts of filing false tax returns as part of the plea deal. Marcussen will be sentenced to probation on the fraud charge and whatever prison term a court decides on the theft count: anything between 12 and 45 months, according to the plea agreement. “Probation with jail is an option, but so is prison,” Arizona Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Ryan Anderson told Phoenix New Times. The former ticket manager will be sentenced on June 7. According to court documents, Marcussen she said, saying she wished that the “prompt and final conclusion to this case be upheld” after all these years. Shortly after James took the stand, the board deliberated for about 20 minutes. All four current members, Salvatore Freni, Louis Quiñonez, Michael Johnson, and Méndez, voted to reject the clemency petition. Over the last few weeks, Dixon’s attor- neys have argued in a special action suit earlier this month that the current compo- sition of this board is unlawful. Three of the four board members are former cops, each having worked over 20 years in the field. Arizona statute requires that no more than two members of the board hail from the same professional discipline. A judge dismissed the suit, however, partly on the basis that law enforcement does not constitute a profession. The legal challenges are likely to continue, however. Dixon’s attorneys are making the case that, due to his mental illness, execution would be unconstitu- tional. That case is still pending in Arizona courts. Now that clemency is denied, Dixon’s fate rests with those courts. must also pay $11,818 to the Arizona Department of Revenue and $1,780 to the Attorney General’s anti-racketeering revolving fund, which bankrolls gang prevention programs, substance abuse prevention programs, and programs that provide assis- tance to victims of crime. That’s on top of the $458,218 he repaid the Suns, the total sum he embezzled over two seasons. “It is my understanding the defendant has paid back the restitution to the Suns,” Anderson said. During the 2017-18 and 2018-19 NBA seasons, the Suns put about 820,000 tickets up for sale, after season ticket allocations. Two-thirds of the roughly 18,000 seats inside the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix are earmarked for season ticket holders, leaving 5,000 seats for sale at each of 82 regular- season games. Marcussen was able to skim an average of 18 tickets to each game during those two seasons. In a statement, Marcussen’s attorney, Mark Kokanovich said, “Jeff worked for the Phoenix Suns for close to 20 years. After the cold- blooded tragic murder of his brother near the end of Jeff’s career with the Suns, Jeff began selling tickets without team approval. Jeff admitted to the sales and reimbursed the team while cooperating with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.” Marcussen’s brother, Thomas, was killed at a sports bar near 16th Street and Bethany Home Road in 2014. Marcussen could not be reached for comment. 11 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES MAY 5TH– MAY 11TH, 2022
