!! New FBI Arrest In Operation Bullpen - Stan's (Stan Fitzgerald)

Stan Fitzgerald, his wife and his mother (nice guy he is, bringing his mom into
this) were just indicted on April 20 and taken into custody on April 23. The
business he ran was Stan's Sports Memorabilia. Tim Fitzsimmons of the FBI
accumulated evidence that purportedly shows that Stan Fitzgerald sold
$2,000,000 worth of fake autographs from Nov, 1995 to Oct, 1999. That's right
$2 million bucks.
His fake autographs were always accompanied by COA's from SCAA or J. DiMaggio.
The full story will appear in Sports Collectors Digest. If you would like a
copy of the story, send me an e-mail.

Richard

Yes! Another one down! Or another 3 down! They're gone! For a little while
anyway.
BJ
http://bjwebb3749.tripod.com/bjscelebritysigns/

Another scumbucket, and his family, out of circulation.

--

Mike
Gummby3

~~ Star Collector ~~
http://www.star-collector.net
Autograph Authentication Guide
http://www.star-collector.net/authenticationguide.htm

"Richard" wrote in message
...
Stan Fitzgerald, his wife and his mother (nice guy he is, bringing his mom
into
this) were just indicted on April 20 and taken into custody on April 23.
The
business he ran was Stan's Sports Memorabilia. Tim Fitzsimmons of the FBI
accumulated evidence that purportedly shows that Stan Fitzgerald sold
$2,000,000 worth of fake autographs from Nov, 1995 to Oct, 1999. That's
right
$2 million bucks.
His fake autographs were always accompanied by COA's from SCAA or J.
DiMaggio.
The full story will appear in Sports Collectors Digest. If you would like
a
copy of the story, send me an e-mail.

Richard


---
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Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.668 / Virus Database: 430 - Release Date: 4/25/2004

I love seeing these lowlifes biteit...

On 28 Apr 2004 16:41:04 GMT, ospam (Bjwebb3749)
wrote:

Yes! Another one down! Or another 3 down! They're gone! For a little while
anyway.
BJ
http://bjwebb3749.tripod.com/bjscelebritysigns/



www.starwarsautographcollecting.com
http://dahoov2.topcities.com

I've heard of him-- good job! Where can we find the article?

This article will be appearing in Sports Collectors Digest:

By ROCKY LANDSVERK

Most of the defendants in Operation Bullpen – the FBI’s investigation into
fake sports autographs conducted by the bureau’s San Diego office – have
already pled guilty, served their time and been released. Some are even off
probation.
On Friday, April 23, a retailer accused of being one of the most prolific
purveyors of forgeries was finally in custody, along with his wife and mother.
Stan Fitzgerald, Donna Fitzgerald (Stan’s wife) and Josephine Fitzgerald
(Stan’s mother) were indicted Tuesday, April 20, and taken into custody April
23, each charged with 16 counts of mail fraud, 16 counts of aiding and
abetting, one count of money laundering and one count of conspiracy.
The indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
California in San Diego, utilized a grand jury in January and years of work by
investigator Tim Fitzsimmons to accumulate evidence alleging that Stan’s
Sports Memorabilia sold at least $2 million worth of fake autographs and
memorabilia from November, 1995, until the business was raided, along with more
than 70 others nationwide, on Oct. 13, 1999.
The portion of Stan’s Sports’ inventory that was fake was almost
exclusively the work of the Marino family, whose members are already serving
time and have been referenced repeatedly in SCD as the primary forgers in this
fake-autograph ring. The indictment was handed down perilously close to a
five-year statute of limitations, looming in October.
“Of the 50-plus individuals who have been convicted in Operation Bullpen,
nearly all of them pled guilty, they were not indicted,� Fitzsimmons said.
“The reason why there was a time gap (in this case) in between the searches
(in October, 1999) and the charges is in white-collar crime cases, many times
it can take a period of time before an indictment can be brought forward.�
A lien has been filed on the Fitzgeralds’ Caldwell, N.J., home/office, and
the indictment mentions $500,000 in cash that was deposited into an account by
Donna Fitzgerald “on or near Oct. 13, 1999,� the time of the raids.
However, that money could already be spent, and collectors should take heed
that even if significant assets are found, the courts do not always disperse
that in the form of restitution to victims.
Collectors and dealers who had dealt with Stan’s Sports can identify definite
fakes by looking for SCAA or J. DiMaggio certificates of authenticity, already
identified by the FBI and in SCD as being exclusively associated with fake
autographs, because most of the company’s fakes carried those COAs.
It’s important to note that Stan’s Sports did hold its own legitimate
signings, and purchased real autographs from other dealers. Unfortunately, much
of that inventory is likely to become “fake by association.� That makes
this one of the more difficult situations for collectors who’ve been through
more than their fair share of difficult situations regarding fake autographs
already. Determining what was real and what was fake will not be cut and dried
in this situation, as opposed to most of the other fake-autograph arrests.
Dates for the arraignment hearing and trial have not been set. After four and a
half years, what’s a few weeks?
“It is satisfying to accomplish this after years (of work),� Fitzsimmons
said.
Federal indictments are sometimes full of detail and anecdotes; this one
doesn’t fall into that category. It’s a rather dry detailing of facts and
charges. It actually provides less background regarding the Fitzgeralds’
activity than was offered in the FBI’s booklet handed out at its press
conference in the spring of 2000, when it detailed the nuances of Operation
Bullpen. That booklet offered a colorful picture of the FBI’s view of the
Fitzgeralds’ involvement. In one phone call the FBI cited in that 2000
report, Gloria Marino of the now-infamous family estimated that Stan Fitzgerald
made $10 million on fakes, a number that could have been pure speculation or
complete fabrication, but certainly confirmed that the Marino family knew and
dealt with the Fitzgeralds. That booklet offers several other anecdotes that
the FBI says prove that the Fitzgeralds were knowingly involved in the scheme.
This indictment marked the first official confirmation of what had been
previously speculated upon. As of press time, nothing further was available
from the FBI regarding future dates or schedules regarding the case. Because
Stan’s Sports was a frequent SCD advertiser, SCD will continue to follow this
story as closely as new information allows.
--