6 charged with fraud

[34swtns]

Seems like there's a lot of "piling on" happening in this thread.....before any determination of guilt or innocence has even been made.

I've done business with JO Sports for over 2 years now and have never encountered any issues regarding authenticity whatsoever. Quite the contrary, I can generally photomatch any item from their inventory that I'm interested in long before any purchase is made.

Robert Kovacs has been my JO representative from the beginning and is a study in courtesy and professionalism. So, while others may seem to want to rush to judgement, I have nothing but positive things to say about a company that has been instrumental in the building of my Bears collection and are largely responsible for its contents today.

[allstarsplus]

Andrew,

Yes. Same guy. Confirmed by the Daily News article today. Ver batim:

<<The defendants include Eric Inselberg, a New Jersey dealer linked to a North Carolina warm-up jersey sold at a 2007 Mastro Auction for $11,000. Mastro executives claimed the jersey had once belong to Michael Jordan.

Nick

Truly amazing and my friend Jim Reed was the one that unfoiled that. He was the one who got the Ranzino Smith warm-up from Smith and sold it and kept photos and identified it as the same one when it went to auction as a Michael Jordan.

What is strange to me in the complaint against Jarrod Oldridge, it names Inselberg in that same complaint.

This whole thing is surreal.

[freddiefreeman5]

Whitey Herzog said Cardinals owner Gussie Busch once offered Whitey a lifetime contract. Whitey's response: "Your lifetime or mine?"

Classic Whitey Herzog.

[SaintsGeaux]

Seems like there's a lot of "piling on" happening in this thread.....before any determination of guilt or innocence has even been made.

I've done business with JO Sports for over 2 years now and have never encountered any issues regarding authenticity whatsoever. Quite the contrary, I can generally photomatch any item from their inventory that I'm interested in long before any purchase is made.

Robert Kovacs has been my JO representative from the beginning and is a study in courtesy and professionalism. So, while others may seem to want to rush to judgement, I have nothing but positive things to say about a company that has been instrumental in the building of my Bears collection and are largely responsible for its contents today.

I disagree with you. Where is there piling on? My rep told me they have THOUSANDS of loyal customers of which you are one. A few people state "trust but verify".

Would I personally do business with Oldridge again or JO. Not in your lifetime!

[Preston]

I heard that it was in JO's best interest NOT to issue any statements until their attorneys have reviewed everything and given the go ahead to do so.

Understatement of the year. I'd be surprised if they even did release a presser. They're beyond damage control at this point.

[SaintsGeaux]

So are you saying that the Bears Team LOA that each game used jersey is accompanied with is no good??? That is the case with those jersey's as well as other teams!!! You dont need a JO LOA to feel good if you dont want, a team LOA from the Chicago Bears, signed personally by Tony Medlin the head Equipment manager that has been with the team for many years, is that rock solid provenance enough for you??? Just saying...

I know nothing about the Bears. LOAs are paper. I want provenance.

Look no further to a few years ago when the Brett Favre jersey problems came to light. People freaked out who owned them.

When a company you have bought from is named like JO, darn right collectors should be shaking in their boots!

[SaintsGeaux]

I meant to say provenance, a photo match and maybe a signed LOA from the athlete like LockerRoomMemorabilia used to do with the athlete holding the item.

[BarryMeisel]

SaintGeaux,

I can assure that MeiGray will never compromise its ethics for profits. In fact, I created MeiGray in 1997 because I saw a void in the industry.

My mantra to the first teams with which I signed contracts in 1997-98 (New York Rangers, New York Giants, New Jersey Devils) was that there was a growing game-worn jersey industry desperately in need of a company licensed and endorsed by the teams ... to protect the collectors who were spending good money from items that were not being properly authenticated, or were outright fakes.

I insisted on contractual agreements and letters from the teams for public display confirming these agreements.

I insisted on an authentication system that allowed us to check the items we were selling on behalf of the teams, before we put them out for sale, with the team's letter of authenticity behind them. We knew there was a difference between game worn and game issued. We didn't expect the teams to understand. We felt it was our job, in this role we were undertaking, to do right by collectors by distinguishing game issues from game worns coming out of the locker rooms.

And when I introduced our company, I made it clear (and still believe this today), that we will earn the profits we deserve by serving the collecting community efficiently, with the respect they deserved. And it didn't matter if they were buying a $100 game-issued jersey or a $7,500 Ovechkin.

Our pricing reflects our desire to make a fair profit (no different than any business in our capitalist system) by providing a necessary service and accurately reflecting the game-worn jersey market.

If we did not accurately price our jerseys, we would not be selling enough to make a profit. But since 1997 I have established the MeiGray strategy and steadfastly maintained that we can be successful by providing accurate pricing in the market, and providing an unparalleled level of absolute authenticity.

That is our promise to the hobby, and it an uncompromised promise we have made since 1997.

FreddieFreeman5, I am not sure if you are being facetious ... but I will promise you that it is easy to give a lifetime guarantee when you are 100% sure the items you sell are 100% legitimate.

Lifetime means the life of the item, and the life of the company as long as I am in charge.

I can't promise what will happen after I die, except that there will be one MeiGray Registrated Item, MGS No. 100001, a game-worn jersey from my personal collection, that's going in my coffin (1994 NY Rangers Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 Craig MacTavish, but that's another story).

Respectfully,

Barry

[trsent]

I can't promise what will happen after I die, except that there will be one MeiGray Registrated Item, MGS No. 100001, a game-worn jersey from my personal collection, that's going in my coffin (1994 NY Rangers Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 Craig MacTavish, but that's another story).

Respectfully,

Barry

Barry, where will you be laid to rest again?

[SaintsGeaux]

Barry, very impressive. I think the other lesson is don't bite off more than you can chew. Company growth like yours is so dependent on you and the people you hire and train.