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Eric
10-16-2013, 04:22 PM
According to the Clerk's Office at the US District Courthouse in Rockford Illinois, game used dealers Brad Wells and Steve Jensen were sentenced today. They had been charged with selling bogus game used memorabilia. Waiting to find out details on the case...

They appeared in the court of Honorable Philip G. Reinhard.

The Clerk's office said the sentencing information hasn't yet been made public. If anyone has access to the PACER legal document database, details should be found there.

More info soon...

Eric
10-16-2013, 07:39 PM
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/iteam/2013/10/florida-memorabilia-dealer-bradley-wells-sentenced-to-six-months-in-prison-1

From NY Daily News iteam blog

OCTOBER 16, 2013 7:15 PM
Florida memorabilia dealer Bradley Wells sentenced to six months in prison

BY MICHAEL O'KEEFFE

Bill Mastro is not the only executive who is going to spend time in a federal prison as a result of the FBI’s six-year investigation into fraud in the sports memorabilia industry.

Florida memorabilia dealer Bradley Wells, who pleaded guilty to mail fraud in September 2012, was sentenced to six months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Philip G. Reinhard in Rockford, Ill., on Wednesday. Wells will also serve three years of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence.

Reinhard sentenced Minnesota dealer Steve Jensen, meanwhile, to four months of home detention and three years of probation.

A humbled Jensen was led away in handcuffs by more than a dozen law-enforcement officers at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemont, Ill., in August 2011, a move that was witnessed by hundreds of dealers and collectors. But court documents filed by prosecutors urged leniency for Jensen because he has cooperated substantially with investigators.

Assistant United States Attorney Michael Love declined to comment on the case.

Federal prosecutors say Wells, Jensen and three other memorabilia dealers acknowledged that they obtained jerseys from retail outlets and other sources and altered them so that they appeared to be used in games by pro athletes, substantially increasing their value.

Many of the jerseys were sold to trading card manufacturers, which then cut them up and inserted swathes of cloth into premium collectibles. Wells, according to court papers, told investigators that buyers from Panini America, Upper Deck and Topps knew they were purchasing phony jerseys and were fully aware that they were passing along fake jersey swathes to collectors.

Three other dealers who were charged in the scheme and pleaded guilty -- Jarrod Oldridge, Bradley Horne, Bernard Gernay – are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 25 in Rockford.

Mastro, the most important executive in sports memorabilia during the 1990s and 2000s, pleaded guilty to fraud in Chicago federal court last week and could serve up to five years in prison. Mastro is cooperating with prosecutors and will be sentenced once his cooperation is completed.

Eric
10-16-2013, 07:46 PM
http://www.beckett.com/news/2013/10/two-dealers-get-prison-time-probation-for-sale-of-fake-game-used-jerseys/

TWO DEALERS GET PRISON TIME, PROBATION FOR SALE OF FAKE GAME-USED JERSEYS

10.16

Posted on October 16, 2013 – 5:35 pm |


By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Two men who were charged with selling fake game-used jerseys to the public as well as card companies to be used in memorabilia cards were sentenced in a U.S. District Court on Wednesday with probation and jail time among the end result while three others are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 25.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall Samborn of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, dealer Steve Jensen was sentenced to three years probation with four months of home detention and electronic monitoring. Meanwhile former Florida-based memorabilia dealer Bradley Wells was sentenced to six months in prison starting on Jan. 6 with three years of supervised release after that.

“In both cases,” Samborn said, “restitution is still to be determined.”

The other three charged in this long-running case – Jarrod Oldridge, Brad Horne and Bernie Gernay — await court dates later this month.

Oldridge is the owner of JO Sports Co., a company with deals in place with 14 NFL teams to sell game-used memorabilia. Gernay is the owner of Pro Sports Investments, while Horne is the owner of Authentic Sports Memorabilia Inc.

According to the U.S Department of Justice, Wells admitted to obtaining “hundreds of jerseys that were not game-used and then had them altered in order to sell them for a higher price” while working for Authentic Sports Inc. and Historic Auctions LLC, both Florida-based companies, between 2005 and 2009.

The cases have been in the courts system since 2011 with Wells alleging in past court documents, that based on unusually low prices they were willing to pay, the card companies he worked with — Topps, Upper Deck and Donruss — had to have known that his game-used items (for multiple sports, not just baseball) were not real. (See our past story here.)

Typically, trading card licensors allow game-used equipment to be purchased only from authorized dealers and it is unclear at this time how much card companies may have purchased from the dealers.

In a Beckett Media story published last year, Evan Kaplan, the MLB Players Association Director of Licensing and Business Development, stated its policy on game-used acquisitions.

“Ensuring the authenticity of game-used memorabilia has always been paramount,” Kaplan said. “All game-used memorabilia is required to have been used in actual MLB game. We work closely with MLB, the players and our licensees to help procure authentic materials.”

According to Rich Mueller of Sports Collectors Daily, who has reviewed the latest filings, Panini America, (which bought Donruss and its assets) claimed $7.7 million in lost revenue because of the Oldridge case and a $3.37 million loss in the Wells case. Claims from Topps and Upper Deck, if any, have not been made public via court documents.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazines. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com.

Eric
10-16-2013, 07:50 PM
http://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/two-sentenced-in-jersey-fraud-case/

Two Sentenced in Jersey Fraud Case
October 16, 2013 By Rich Mueller

Two of the five men who have pleaded guilty to mail fraud in connection with the sale of non-genuine game jerseys sold to well known card companies and others were sentenced in U.S. District Court on Wednesday.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago, Brad Wells, one of the principals in Florida-based Authentic Sports, Inc., and Historic Auctions, was sentenced to six months in prison beginning January 6, 2014 while Steve Jensen, owner of Minnesota-based Vintage Authentics, received three years probation. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office told Sports Collectors Daily the sentences were handed down in a Rockford, IL federal courtroom.

Prosecutors say the sales in the various individual bogus jersey cases working their way through the court system totaled hundreds of thousands of dollars and took place over a roughly five-year period beginning in 2004.

Wells admitted to investigators in 2009 that he had obtained retail or game-issued jerseys and schemed with other dealers to alter them so they would appear game worn. The jerseys were sold to other dealers and to trading card companies which cut them up and used them to create memorabilia or 'relic' cards. Prosecutors say Wells and the others sometimes changed the shape of the jerseys and added patches or other identifiable marks to make them look game worn, thus increasing their value.

Panini America, which purchased Donruss in 2009 and acquired $125,000 worth of fake jerseys in the process, is asking for restitution of $3.7 million in the Wells case. Whether they get anything will be determined at a later date.

Federal agents say interstate carriers including UPS, were used to ship packages containing the misrepresented jerseys across state lines.

Wells could have received 27-33 months in prison but was cooperative with investigators who tried to piece the story together. Following his release from prison next June, Wells will spend three years on supervised release.

Jensen, who was arrested on the floor of the National Sports Collectors Convention in the summer 2011, avoided prison time after he cooperated with investigators but will spend the first four months in home detention with electronic monitoring. He was accused of selling some jerseys attributed to game wear by Major League Baseball stars that were actually just replicas.

Three other dealers, Brad Horne, Jarrod Oldridge and Bernard Gernay, have pleaded guilty for their role in the fake jersey scam and will be sentenced later this month in Rockford.

allstarsplus
10-16-2013, 08:48 PM
Any word on resitution to those that were defrauded or hows about the consignors who didn't get paid?

I went as far as contacting the States Attorney in Florida years ago and he didn't seem to care. Live and learn and out $1,000's. He had a great story to get me hand over a few boxes of items and I got paid the 1st time. Wasn't so lucky the 2nd time. All I can say is consignment forms and legal documents mean nothing when you are dealing with scum bags.

Roady
10-16-2013, 10:19 PM
Sounds like a slap on the wrist to me.
How can you defraud hundreds if not thousands of people and get home detention or 6 months in jail?
That is much better than robbing a bank for the same amount and getting life.

Eric
10-17-2013, 10:51 AM
I was asked by Steve Jensen to post this on his behalf. See below...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My case is different than the other cases being referenced. I did not have a direct pipeline to sell jerseys to any of the card companies and my case had nothing to do with them.

My case was a separate investigation from the one conducted by federal agents in Illinois. To be more specific, my case originated in New York and was based, to my knowledge, on a complaint made by one customer -- not the hundreds of fraudulent jerseys being reported in various articles.

My case was ultimately transferred to Chicago after the investigators in New York obviously determined that my case was not significant enough for their attention. It made sense to transfer my case because of the work being done on separate cases in Illinois by investigators who more thoroughly understood the industry than the investigators in New York.

After an extensive investigation into my company going back 10 years that included the seizure and examination of product, as well as all documents and electronic records, there were a grand total of three jerseys in question. We obviously strive for perfection as it pertains to the authentication process and will continue to strive for that goal going forward. We will continue to grow with the hobby and be proactive as it pertains to authentication. There are improvements that are constantly being made in the areas of authentication regarding game-used equipment, autographed items, and graded cards. We will continue to be proactive and take advantage of these improvements.

My sentence of probation, which is extraordinary in federal court where sentences of imprisonment are routinely imposed, demonstrates that the investigators and court recognized that my case was indeed unique and limited in nature, as the court expressly stated. I am deeply appreciative that the Illinois court and investigators took the time to examine my case carefully and thoughtfully and not leap to the untrue, inflammatory, and irresponsible conclusions that have been reported.

I have cooperated with them during their investigation and hopefully the information provided will help the investigators and the hobby as a whole. Again, I would caution people in the industry to strive to avoid and remove questionable merchandise from the market, as I would never wish this process on anyone. Again, I will do so in my own business and recommend that all take the same approach so that we can all avoid disputes and scrutiny in the future.

Steve Jensen
Owner, VSA Auctions

rufusandherschel
10-17-2013, 11:34 AM
In my mind, this (statement) doesn't change a thing.

sylbry
10-17-2013, 12:17 PM
I've been pointing out your fake Twins jerseys for years. Just because you didn't get busted for them doesn't make them real. Don't kid yourself.

Eric
10-17-2013, 03:44 PM
FYI- Michael O'Keeffe just wrote about this thread on the Daily News iTeam blog...

Eric
10-18-2013, 07:39 PM
Since Brad Wells was sentenced to a jail term, I thought it would be interesting to go back and see what he posted in the forum. How about this...

http://www.network54.com/Forum/379976/message/1121885499/The+REAL+Authentic+Sports+Inc-


Hello everyone,

We would like to clear up any concerns and confusion regarding a Mr. Steve Mispurini and his company, Authentic Sports and his website www.authsports.com. Our company, ASI, Authentic Sports Incorporated, has never been nor ever will be involved with a Mr. Mispurini or his company, Authentic Sports. We try our hardest to separate ourselves from individuals such as this gentleman and would never risk our business and reputation dealing with people such as Mr. Mispurini.

We at ASI pride ourselves in providing the most authentic products available. In this business, reputation and honesty is everything and unfortunately there are individuals that let greed and jealously take over. Despite all this non-sense, we at ASI would like to take the moment to say thank you to our loyal customers as well as the entire industry for your and for your continued support.

As far as forums such as www.gameusedforum.com are concerned, we find them to be an EXCELLENT environment for collectors and dealers to communicate what is going on in the industry. These forums were designed for the positive sides of the industry. Still, there are many people out there that try to deceive and manipulate a great industry and ruin people’s reputations. While most posts and comments are positive, there are some that are negative. Like any successful business, we must take the good with the bad. However, what remains the same is our ability to maintain our integrity, our reputation, and bring you, the collector, only the finest and AUTHENTIC products available.

We are asking that all questions be directed to our office by phone, 727.502.0040, or by email to info@authenticsportsinc.com.

Thanks,
Brad Wells
Owner, CEO
ASI
www.AuthenticSportsInc.com