As reported by various mainstream media outlets this week (New York Daily News original report, NY Daily News follow-up, Forbes, WREX-13), several memorabilia dealers plead guilty this week to fraud charges related to the sale of “game worn” sports jerseys. Sentencing is scheduled for May 2012, and each maul fraud charge has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 fines. Though a different class of memorabilia from television and film, it is always encouraging to see the FBI direct attention to any sort of memorabilia fraud, as it is very prevalent in all collecting areas. [Read more…]
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…]
Vintage Poster Scandal Update: New York Times Reports Kerry Haggard Arrested on Mail Fraud Charges
As a brief update to the various scandals involving allegedly fraudulent vintage movie posters circulating in the marketplace, two stories published online today by the New York Times report that Kerry T. Haggard has been arrested on mail fraud charges. [Read more…]
Art Dealers Plead Guilty to Crimes Involving Misrepresentation & Fraudulant COAs
Rick Spector of Stairway to the Stars directed me to an interesting article on the Maine Antique Digest website about art dealers who have plead guilty to a scheme involving their passing off art with manufactured origins, fictitious artist names and identities, and fraudulent certificates of authenticity (COAs). [Read more…]