Mon Oct 27 05:00:00 UTC 2025: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Former Iowa Radio Host Marty Tirrell Arrested Again on Federal Fraud Charges
DES MOINES, Iowa – Marty Tirrell, the former sports radio personality once known as the “Mouth of the Midwest,” has been arrested on new federal wire fraud charges, just months after being released from prison for a similar scheme. The indictment, filed on October 16th, alleges that Tirrell, 65, defrauded investors out of over $1.5 million by promising lucrative returns from reselling high-demand event tickets.
According to prosecutors, Tirrell, who was on supervised release following a 2021 conviction for mail fraud, solicited investments for a luxury ticket-flipping operation between February 2023 and January 2024. He promised investors a share of the profits from reselling tickets to sought-after events like the U.S. Open, Taylor Swift concerts, Indiana Fever games, and football and baseball playoff games.
However, the indictment alleges Tirrell never made the promised bulk ticket purchases. Instead, he is accused of using the investors’ money for personal expenses and gambling. He allegedly used funds from new investors to repay earlier investors, a classic Ponzi scheme tactic.
Tirrell faces 11 counts of wire fraud, each tied to separate wire transfers from the four identified victim investors. Each charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
At the time of the alleged offenses, Tirrell was operating a podcast and radio company called Tea Room Broadcasting, which he allegedly used as a conduit for the fraudulent scheme. The company’s website, under the name Sports Overnight America, appears to be inactive.
Tirrell’s career has been marred by controversy. Once a prominent voice on Iowa airwaves, he launched the region’s first sports talk radio program in 1996. However, he was fired from 1460 KXnO in 2009 after a profane rant was broadcast live. He then partnered with Toyota of Des Moines, a relationship that ended in litigation after a promised Troy Aikman speaking engagement fell through. He was sentenced in 2021 to nearly 3 1/2 years in prison, after pleading guilty to mail fraud for encouraging investors to give him money for a luxury ticket-flipping scheme, which he then used for personal expenses and gambling. He was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 million in restitution.
Tirrell was released in January 2023.
Tirrell’s past is riddled with lawsuits and accusations of scamming, dating back to the late 1990s.
An attorney representing Tirrell has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Contact:
William Morris
Des Moines Register
wrmorris2@registermedia.com
715-573-8166
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