Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Concord Dealer Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud in Willie Mays Memorabilia Scheme

Sentencing is set for March 23, 2026, with a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.

Overview

  • Prosecutors say court papers detail a 2022–2024 scheme in which he doctored items and fabricated provenance to market high-value collectibles.
  • In 2023 he took $100,000 for a bat he claimed Willie Mays used in the 1954 World Series, which he never delivered to the buyer.
  • According to the DOJ, the bat was a factory error an inch shorter than the model Mays used during his career.
  • He also sold a purported Mays game-worn jersey for $50,000 that filings identify as a 1972 batboy jersey.
  • After an October 2024 FBI search, he contacted a potential witness in an attempt to obstruct the investigation, and a plea agreement on file is expected to guide sentencing as his lawyer says he intends to pay restitution.