Three people have been arrested and charged in a fraud scheme selling a large quantity of forged Jason Kelce-autographed memorabilia.
According to a report from CLLCT, Robert Capone, LeAnn Branco, and Joseph Parenti have been arrested and were charged on Wednesday with 60 felony counts including forgery, theft, deceptive business practices, and other charges by Montgomery County (Pa.) District Attorney Kevin R. Steele after selling forged Jason Kelce autographed memorabilia valued at an estimated $200,000.
The district attorney’s office said detectives and Upper Merion Township police were alerted to more than 1,100 pieces of memorabilia that featured forged signatures of Kelce.
The 1,138 items of forged memorabilia – signed jerseys, helmets, mini helmets, hats, photos, and footballs – are believed to have been falsely verified and authenticated by Branco, who is an independent contractor for Beckett Authentication Services, according to authorities.
The charges come after a lawsuit that was filed by Beckett Collectibles against Branco and Parenti.
“Branco and Parenti have conflicting stories on what happened. But one thing remains certain — Kelce never signed the items,” the lawsuit alleges. “Instead, defendants flooded the market with forged autographed items, which they then sold. [U]nfortunately, many were duped, including Beckett.”
Beckett told CLLCT that it plans to pay back all impacted customers, which it estimates will cost roughly $250,000.
“BAS leadership has a detailed and itemized list of all the fraudulent pieces stemming from the June event and will work to ensure that all customers are fully refunded as soon as possible with proof of purchase and receipt of said items,” Beckett said in a statement. “This announcement is being made now as criminal investigations into this matter have matured, and Beckett can move forward without risk to any investigation.”
CLLCT said that Kelce insists he did not sign the memorabilia in question.
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