Hundreds of fake sports memorabilia items were seized, that included fake championship rings from pro and college sports, which could have earned as much as $15.7 million had they been authentic. No arrests have been made.
Collector’s shop raided over millions and counterfeit sports memorabilia
A joint effort by federal, state, and local officials resulted in a major bust when law enforcement raided a sports memorabilia shop and seized counterfeit goods they say had a retail value as high as $15.7 million.
Law enforcement authorities descended on Kirk’s Collectibles in Anderson Mall in Upstate South Carolina. In the raid, they confiscated more than 600 fake professional and collegiate sports championship rings, the Associated Press reported.
The false rings included counterfeit Super Bowl rings and championship rings for a variety of professional sports leagues, including the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), WYFF 4 reported.
The hoard totaled 157 Super Bowl rings, 83 NBA Finals rings, 99 World Series rings, 29 Stanley Cup rings, and 251 NCAA championship rings for unnamed sports, said Shannon Wiley, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Secretary of State, NBC Connecticut reported.
No arrests, DHS investigation active
An investigation by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains active. Federal, state and local officials say they cannot share information about the number of suspects they have in the case. Thus far, no arrests have been made as of yet, according to the Bleacher Report.
According to the website for Kirk’s Collectibles, the shop also sells non-sports memorabilia.
Counterfeit goods steal jobs, hurt the US economy, and pose health risks
More than 45 million American jobs are dependent on preventing the sale of counterfeit goods, according to statistics from the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property.
“The sale of counterfeit goods is not a victimless crime,” said Secretary of State Mark Hammond, Yahoo Sports reported.
Hammond says fake memorabilia causes “billions in damage to the nation’s economy each year” and involves “trafficking in counterfeit funds, organized crime, and terrorism.” He also pointed out that because the makers of counterfeit goods don’t abide by conventional health standards, many counterfeit products contain harmful ingredients.
“Whether it’s a fan losing their hard-earned money on a fake item they were led to believe was authentic, or small businesses losing vital sales, intellectual property theft is a real crime with real victims and real financial impacts,” said Ronnie Martinez, a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security.
