FirstDIBZ, the forward market ticket company, lost one of its special advisors and directors last weekend with the passing of former politician and professional football star Jack Kemp.

Kemp was Bob Dole’s Vice Presidential running mate in 1996, and he joined FirstDIBZ several years ago when the Chicago-based company still went by the name The Ticket Reserve. FirstDIBZ officials declined to comment on Kemp’s passing.

In recent months, the company has been embroiled in scandal when it fell victim to a massive fraud. The scam involved ticket futures, or “dibz,” that were erroneously sold and resold, which the company claimed resulted in substantial financial losses.

Following the scam, the company reached out to additional business leaders to advise it on its operations and security, including members of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Other members of FirstDIBZ Board of Directors are CEO Rick Harmon; co-founder Herbert Rudoy; Joseph Ianniello of CBS Corp.; and business and financial consultant Ash Narayan.


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Kemp, a nationally admired Republican politician, served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George H.W. Bush, and he was also a member of several other advisory boards, including Dawntreader Ventures, Knowledge Universe Learning Inc., Landair and Liberty Global Partners, LLC.

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