investigation

December 31, 2017 By Jason DeBord

KTNV13 Call For Action “Digging Into The Murky World of Memorabilia” Video Report

KTNV13 Call For Action broadcast this report on autographed and collectible memorabilia on their local ABC affiliate station in Las Vegas, and has also made the video available on their official website. The story discusses autographs and collector Steve Comolli’s purchases of memorabilia from Antiquities International in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. The report claims he purchased $20,000 worth of autographed memorabilia – “most” of it from Antiquities – and then tried to sell through Julien’s Auctions and Heritage Auction Galleries and that they “could not authenticate” what he wanted to sell through them. [Read more…]

February 10, 2016 By Jason DeBord

Former Mastro Auctions President Doug Allen Sentenced To 57 Months In Federal Prison

As mentioned last week, Federal prosecutors were seeking a four year prison sentence for Doug Allen, the former President of disgraced sports memorabilia auction house Mastro Auctions. U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman went further than that in the case of shill bidding and fake memorabilia, sentencing Doug Allen to 57 months, a much stiffer sentence than the 20 months co-defendant Bill Mastro is serving. Allen attempted to obstruct the FBI investigation after learning of it, which would seem to have earned him a longer prison sentence. [Read more…]

February 3, 2016 By Jason DeBord

Daily News Updates Their Ongoing Investigation on Mastro Auctions Fraud Case; Prosecutors Seek Four Year Prison Sentence for Doug Allen

Michael O’Keeffe with the New York Daily News continues to chronicle the ongoing saga surrounding Mastro Auctions and the Justice Department’s prosecution of principals from the sports memorabilia auction house, based on the FBI investigation that began in 2007. Yesterday, prosecutor filed papers with the Chicago federal court seeking a 57 month prison term for former Mastro Auctions president, Doug Allen, as a result of his “outright contempt” for law enforcement. [Read more…]

April 14, 2015 By Jason DeBord

WPIX-TV (PIX11) News Feature: “NJ’s Attorney General Closes Case of Fraudulent Memorabilia”

Tribune Broadcasting’s New York flagship station, WPIX-TV (PIX11) in New Jersey, recently published a news report about the Bergen County Prosecutor’s office auctioning off memorabilia seized in 2007 – memorabilia that Prosecutor John Molinelli was warned included fake autographs. The report claims that a prior report revealed that the prosecutor’s office made false statements in an official document in order to get a no bid contract for their “handpicked” memorabilia authenticator. Purportedly, these news stories lead to refunds being offered to the buyers. One of the buyers subsequently filed a criminal complaint against the prosecutor which went to the Bergen County Policeand then to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice; the AG’s office then sent a letter to people who’d complained and it said that their information “was received and reviewed…The matter is now closed.” [Read more…]

March 5, 2013 By Jason DeBord

A Confession and The Psychology of a Fraud and Forger (“Caveat Emptor”)

CBS News has broadcast a fascinating feature and interview with Ken Perenyi, a self-taught artist who fooled the art market and auction houses with forgeries of paintings. His method was to bring paintings he himself made into auction houses, and ask them what he had, saying now in retrospect, “risk is addictive“. [Read more…]

December 20, 2012 By Jason DeBord

Southern California’s NBC-4 “I-Team” Investigation into Julien’s Auctions Michael Jackson Autographs from Costume Designer Michael Bush

NBC-4 in Southern California have broadcast a report on their news program and published an accompanying story on their official site looking into claims made by third parties that items offered for sale by Julien’s Auctions, sourced from Michael Jackson’s costume designer Michael Bush, feature Michael Jackson autographs that are not authentic. [Read more…]

April 13, 2011 By Jason DeBord

TMZ Reports on Cease & Desist Sent to Profiles in History Over “Rocky” Boxing Gloves; Sylvester Stallone Claims They Are Not Authentic

TMZ today reports that auction house Profiles in History have been sent a letter by Lavely & Singer, litigation counsel for Sylvester Stallone, regarding Lot 1069 from their “Hollywood Auction 44” catalog, published yesterday. Per the report and copy of the letter published by TMZ, Stallone’s attorney claims that the “pair of screen-used Sylvester Stallone ‘Rocky Balboa’ boxing gloves” attributed to Rocky (1976) are not authentic. TMZ also reports that a Profiles in History “rep tells us the company is VERY confident the gloves are legit“. [Read more…]

April 4, 2011 By Jason DeBord

Vintage Poster Scandal Update: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Reports NY Federal Prosecutors Seek New Arrest Warrant

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today published an update to one of several scandals that rocked the collectible poster collecting field in 2009 and 2010. The news report states that “Federal prosecutors in New York are asking a judge to jail a Georgia man who is accused of selling fake vintage horror movie posters over the Internet”. [Read more…]