Vintage Poster Scandal Update: Judge Sentences Kerry Haggard to over 6 years in Federal Prison and Orders to Pay $1,380,000 in Restitution to Victims

This is an update to the ongoing series of articles into various claims and charges of fraud in the posters, one sheets, and lobby cards art market that have rocked the collectibles industry over the past two and a half years. Today, per reports from Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the Athens Banner-Herald, and other mainstream media sources, Kerry Haggard was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon to six years and six months in federal prison.  The court also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1.38 million dollars. Read more

Judge Sentences eBay Entertainment Memorabilia Dealer to over 8 years in Federal Prison and Orders to Pay Nearly $175,000 in Restitution to Victims

As reported on last year (see “eBay Entertainment Memorabilia Dealer Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges in U.S. District Court“), eBay entertainment memorabilia dealer David Bruce Shyrock plead guilty to fraud charges in federal after defrauding over 1,200 eBay users out of nearly $175,000 by selling memorabilia with forged autographs on the popular online auction website.  Today, the Joplin, Missouri man was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard E. Dorr to eight years and four months in federal prison without parole.  The court also ordered Shyrock to pay $174,894 in restitution to his victims.  Read more

eBay Entertainment Memorabilia Dealer Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges in U.S. District Court

Per Reuters and other sources, eBay entertainment memorabilia dealer David Bruce Shyrock plead guilty to fraud charges in federal court today.  The Missouri resident faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $500,000 for a variety of charges, including defrauding over 1,200 eBay users out of nearly $175,000 by selling memorabilia with forged autographs on the popular online auction website. Read more

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

Alteration of Historic Lincoln Document in National Archives Highlights Issues Related to Manipulation of Genuine Assets and Authentication

Earlier this year, a story broke about the discovery that a genuine document produced by Abraham Lincoln had been altered in order to make it more historically significant.  While the identification and preservation of historic documents is outside the scope of the same in the entertainment/popular culture memorabilia field, the story is instructive none the less, and highlights the ease with which genuine material can be altered to make it more important and valuable. Read more

New York Daily News Coverage Updates Ongoing FBI Sports Memorabilia Fraud Investigation

New York Daily News sports writer Michael O’Keefe has been publishing an ongoing series of articles about an FBI investigation into the sports memorabilia industry (see Mastro Auctions Closes In Midst Of FBI Investigation Into Shill Bidding & Fraud Allegations).  Two updates have been published this week by the Daily News. Read more

King 5 News Reports on FBI’s “Questioned Documents Unit” Investigations into Sports Autograph Memorabilia Fraud

Tonight Mimi Jung of King 5 News in Seattle, Washington broadcast a video report on investigations by the FBI into sports memorabilia fraud, with a focus on autograph forgeries. Read more

New eBay Legal Development in the UK – Seller to be Fined up to £50,000 for Shill Bidding

The latest in a series of interesting legal developments related to eBay in the past few years, breaking news today is the case of an eBay seller in the UK who faces up to £50,000 in fines for shill bidding his own auctions.  The Daily Mail reports this is the first case in which someone is being fined for such activities. Read more

AFP Report: Court Finds eBay “Guilty of Negligence” In Power Seller Fraud Case, Buyer Awarded $22,000

Per a report from the AFP, an Austrian court has found eBay to be guilty of negligence in a case about a buyer who used the auction site to purchase gold from an eBay “Power Seller” dealer, which he never received.  Read more

Update on New York State Assembly Bill A01730/S4313B: Seeks More Transparency For Auction Houses

This article serves as an update to a feature published one year ago (see Latest Version of New York State Assembly Bill A01730: Seeks Prohibition of Auction House “Sham” Bids Without Disclosure).  Read more

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