Four Men Sentenced in Fraud Schemes Involving Sports Memorabilia

ROCKFORD—Three men were sentenced today in federal court by U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard in separate fraud schemes involving the sports memorabilia business and the purchase and sale of equipment and uniforms used by professional and collegiate athletes: Bernanrd Gernay, 39, a resident of Howell, New Jersey, involved in the business operations of Pro Sports Investments Inc., a New Jersey business, and Jarrod Old Ridge, 39, a resident of Las Vegas, involved in business operations of JO Sports Inc., a Nevada business, were each sentenced to six months in federal prison. Bradley Horne, 41, a Sunset, South Carolina resident involved in the business operations of Authentic Sports Memorabilia Inc., a South Carolina business, was sentenced to three months in federal prison. In addition, each defendant was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following release from prison, and restitution for each defendant will be determined within 60 days of sentencing.

All three men pled guilty to mail fraud charges on November 21, 2011. According to the plea agreements, each case involved the sale, consignment, or auction of jerseys, in which each defendant falsely and fraudulently represented to buyers that the jerseys were “game used,” when they were not. Jerseys worn by professional and collegiate athletes during a game are usually known as game used or game worn and are commonly bought and sold by collectors and others. The value of game used jerseys varies based on the popularity of the player that used the jersey and how long it had been since the player had actively played the sport. The value of a jersey was greater if it was game used. The fraud charges also involved the defendants selling what were represented to be game used jerseys to other persons knowing the jerseys were intended to then be sold to sports trading card companies. As stated in the charges, to increase the value and price of packages of sports trading cards, manufacturers frequently purchase game used jerseys, cut the jerseys into small pieces, and insert the pieces into card packages. When game used jerseys were purchased for this purpose, the manufacturers often required that the seller provide a certificate of authenticity that the jerseys were authentic game used jerseys.

Gernay, Oldridge, and Horne each admitted the jerseys they sold were altered to appear game worn, such as replacing the name and number on a jersey from one player to another more noteworthy player, changing the shape of the jerseys, and adding patches or other identifiable marks on the jerseys. Even though jerseys were not game used, the three men sold the jerseys to other persons they knew intended to re-sell, consign, and auction the jerseys or to sports trading card companies and others by falsely representing the jerseys were game used.

A fourth man, Bradley Wells, 32, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was charged in an indictment on October 25, 2011, in a similar fraud scheme between 2005 and 2009 under the names Authentic Sports Inc., Historic Auctions LLC, and his own name to market and sell fraudulent sports memorabilia represented as game used. Wells pled guilty to mail fraud on September 6, 2012, and was sentenced on October 16, 2013, to six months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, with restitution to be determined within 60 days of his sentencing.

The sentencings were announced today by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Shields, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Love.