Miles Hart, a 30-year-old from Somerset, finds himself at the focus of a growing scandal. This sudden turn of events has sent shock waves through the community of his friends and customers. Outside glimpses at Hart’s life looked quite glamorous with a school’s annual tuition of £12,000 per term. In addition to this thin veneer of respectability, he lived a completely extravagant lifestyle, including all-expenses paid trips to Paris on a private jet. Now his success seems to have been eclipsed by his involvement in a Glastonbury ticket scam.
Hart’s school was only a few miles from the Glastonbury Festival’s famed Pyramid Stage. This closeness served to underscore the privileges from which he benefited from such an early age. This close proximity to one of the world’s most famous music festivals would later play a significant role in his alleged scams.
This year, in 2023, Hart profited off selling Glastonbury tickets to thousands of people. He used his connections and the festival’s buzz to get it done. Yet time and again he was unable or unwilling to follow through, leaving countless New Jerseyans in the lurch and out of pocket.
To make matters worse Hart scheduled customers meetings in hotels all over England to deliver the tickets in person. These moves won the trust of many who continued to believe in his credibility. Yet, underneath this front was an alarming history of dishonesty. According to a man claiming to represent a group Hart owed £480,000 to, he had promised to pay this substantial debt within 56 days.
As his practice grew, the people around Hart began to see some warning signs in his business transactions. Reports suggest that he was using bank cards with the names of other friends on them. He even encouraged them to open bank accounts on his behalf. He nevertheless paid them monthly referral fees for their help. Then, in a cowardly act of self-preservation, he canceled the cards, fueling the doubts among his former admirers.
Hart’s mother, Susannah Hart, is a consistent political presence serving as a local councillor. She got roped into the saga when Miles alleged she could use her industry connections to obtain tickets. Yet, as Susannah herself has admitted, Miles owed her £300,000, complicating his financial woes even further.
Despite these swelling liabilities and unflattering claims, Hart still managed to market a successful image. He allegedly auctioned a property with a fraudulent £90,000 deposit check, deepening the ruse of riches and respectability. He even went to the length of pretending to be working for a client with assets close to a billion euros.
Annamaria, a long-time friend, shared her confusion:
“To this day, I don’t understand why he did it.”
One individual lamented:
“Everyone knows someone who knows someone who’s been scammed by him.”
Hart addressed the allegations during an interview, attempting to defend himself by stating:
“15 years of friendship and he scammed me, how could he do that?”
He claimed that the Glastonbury Festival organizers had discovered his operations and responded by shutting down his activities:
“If this was all a big scam, would I be on the phone to you now?”
The consequences of Hart’s actions are still being felt by thousands of unsuspecting people who thought they were engaging in perfectly legal and legitimate transactions. While investigations continue, what’s left are individuals, families, and communities wondering how they were let down by public servants we put our faith in.
“Glastonbury have found out about them and shut the whole thing down.”
The fallout from Hart’s actions continues to impact many individuals who believed they were participating in legitimate transactions. As investigations unfold, those affected are left grappling with the consequences of misplaced trust.