DENVER — An 82-year-old Denver man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly defrauding more than $800,000 from victims through counterfeit sports trading cards, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
The complaint against Mayo Gilbert McNeil, 82, was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn Wednesday. He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
McNeil was arrested in Denver and made his initial court appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. He will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later time, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Between April 2015 and July 2019, McNeil allegedly conspired with others to sell and trade counterfeit sports trading cards, including a fake 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card, with people he met on online selling platforms and the Internet. He falsely claimed the cards were graded by a professional authentication company, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Victims lost more than $800,000 in cash and authentic sports trading cards that were traded for counterfeits, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The investigation was conducted by the New York Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“As alleged, Mr. McNeil defrauded sports memorabilia collectors of more than $800,000 by intentionally misrepresenting the authenticity of the trading cards he was peddling when, in fact, they were counterfeit. The FBI remains committed to investigating fraud at all levels and bringing the subjects who engage in it to justice,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
