The Collin County Sheriff’s Office says it’s taken a room full of fake sports memorabilia off the streets and arrested two people in connection with the case.
The items include autographed helmets, jerseys, footballs and boxing gloves.
Investigators say they were discovered during an ongoing investigation into the online sale of fraudulently manufactured and authenticated sports memorabilia.
Investigators with the Collin County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division executed a search warrant on Wednesday at a home in the 6000 block of Saint Michael Drive in McKinney.
During the search, investigators say they uncovered a “significant amount of evidence supporting the investigation,” including fictitious certificates of authentication and thousands of sports memorabilia items that were falsely represented as genuine.
Details about where and when that happened were not released.
Wendell Gidden-Rogers and Lisa Skolnick were taken into custody at the scene. Both have been charged with trademark counterfeiting $30,000-$150,000, a third-degree felony, officials said in a press release.
The names of attorneys representing Rogers and Skolnick were not listed in online jail records.
NBC 5 showed photos of the items taken by the Collin County Sheriff’s Office to Kyle Robertson, founder of the Dallas Card Show in Allen which attracts thousands of sellers and collectors.
“That’s a ton of stuff. If all that stuff I just saw is counterfeit that’s a problem. I’d love to see what’s counterfeit on them. I’d love to see the autographs,” said Robertson.
He says spotting a fake begins with knowing common red flags like a lack of authentication and cheap prices.
“These autographs have become so valuable. Patrick Mahomes signs something it’s $1,000,” explained Robertson.
Robertson says each of the major authentication services is on hand at his card shows to protect investments and keep buyers ahead of the game.
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