An investigation by the Florida State Attorney’s Office found that Republican donor and ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Kent Stermon, was involved in a fraudulent scheme before his death in 2022.
Stermon impersonated a backstage security staffer and promised Taylor Swift concert tickets to a young woman in exchange for revealing photos of her. However, the tickets were fake.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, Stermon posed as a VIP security guard for Swift’s Eras Tour and told the woman he could provide backstage passes and tickets to her Tampa show.
In order to “vet” her, he requested she send increasingly sexual and graphic photos of herself. The woman complied based on his promises of the concert tickets.
But the Attorney’s Office said Stermon never had any actual Swift tickets to provide. His offers were a fabricated ploy and fraudulent scheme to elicit the photos from the woman.
The investigation into Stermon began after the woman reported his conduct to law enforcement. However, Stermon died by suicide in December 2022 before it concluded.
In a statement, the previously unidentified woman said the experience had been traumatic but she was grateful the investigation confirmed what happened to her.
“I am thankful the investigation confirmed my experience, and I am relieved no one else has or will have to go through what I did,” she said.
Stermon was a wealthy Republican donor and real estate developer with ties to Gov. DeSantis. He gave over $175,000 to support DeSantis and was appointed by the governor to the board overseeing Florida’s university system.
His coercion of the woman using fictitious Swift tickets and backstage passes represents another abuse of power by a prominent DeSantis ally.
The way Stermon exploited his status and influence to take advantage of the young woman echoes the misconduct that has felled several high-profile Florida political figures lately.
Swift has not commented publicly on the matter involving her tour. The superstar singer-songwriter has had issues in the past with predatory ticket brokers scamming her fans using fake concert passes.
Stermon’s fraudulent ticket offers to the woman demonstrate similar misconduct by someone in a position of power within the Florida GOP’s inner circle.
The State Attorney’s Office said no one else will have to suffer the trauma this woman did at Stermon’s hands. But the revelations provide more examples of how privilege and access is frequently abused by officials in Governor DeSantis’ administration.
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or text TALK to 741741 to text with a counselor from the Crisis Text Line.
