Courts and Law Downtown Brooklyn

Brooklyn court goes after retiree selling $800K worth of fake Michael Jordan cards

March 9, 2023 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace announced the sentencing of a 30-year-old from South Carolina, who was found guilty of selling guns in New York City.Photo: Nathan Howard/AP
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace announced the sentencing of a 30-year-old from South Carolina, who was found guilty of selling guns in New York City.
Photo: Nathan Howard/AP
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DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A Boomer from Colorado was charged in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday for allegedly selling fake Michael Jordan rookie cards online.

Mayo Gilbert McNeil, who is 82-years-old, was charged in federal court with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a counterfeit sports trading card scheme that targeted sports trading card enthusiasts and the sports memorabilia industry.

The complaint was unsealed Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn. According to court filings, the defendant conspired with others between April 2015 and July 2019 to sell and trade sports trading cards, including 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie cards, to victims he found via the Internet and through online selling platforms.

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“Protection from fraud extends to all consumers, regardless of what team they root for,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “As alleged, the defendant orchestrated a years’ long and far-reaching scheme to defraud sports trading cards enthusiasts and the sports memorabilia industry. Our Office is committed to addressing counterfeiting at all levels of the market.”

The defendant allegedly misrepresented the authenticity of the sports trading cards he was offering by falsely claiming that they were graded by a professional authentication company when, in reality, they were counterfeit. This deception allowed the defendant to defraud his victims of more than $800,000.

The arrest of the defendant occurred in Denver and his upcoming court appearance will be in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. The defendant will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.

The investigation into this counterfeit sports trading card scheme was conducted by the FBI and the NYPD.


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