"Prosecutors alleged that Damato, a sports memorabilia dealer, doctored and gave false provenance to valuable items to make them appear as authentic sports collectibles, and then tried to sell the items to unsuspecting buyers at inflated prices. In pleading guilty, Damato admitted he sold the supposedly game-used baseball bat for $100,000, prosecutors said. It had not been used in the World Series and was, in fact, a "factory error" bat that was an inch shorter than what Mays used during his career."
"Damato also did not send the bat to the buyer after receiving payment, prosecutors said. Damato sold other phony collectibles, including a jersey he claimed was worn in a game by Mays, prosecutors said, adding that the jersey was sold for about $50,000. Damato also admitted he tried to obstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation's probe into the alleged offense."
Daniel Damato, 42, of Concord, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud after selling counterfeit sports memorabilia. He doctored items and provided false provenance to make them appear authentic and sold them at inflated prices. He admitted selling a supposedly game-used Willie Mays 1954 World Series bat for $100,000 that had not been used and was a "factory error" bat an inch shorter than Mays' career bats. He also admitted selling a purported game-worn Mays jersey for about $50,000 and failing to deliver the bat after payment. He admitted attempting to obstruct the FBI by contacting at least one potential witness after a search warrant. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine at sentencing on March 23.
Read at The Mercury News
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