Despite precautions, forgeries still abound in sports memorabilia world

By: DAN HAYES - Staff Writer

Seven years ago, a quiet cul-de-sac in northeastern Escondido was the capital of the U.S. sports memorabilia forgery market.

From his parents' one-story home, forger Greg Marino spent hours upon hours perfecting the signatures of nearly every famous athlete or celebrity, dead or alive.

Babe Ruth. Michael Jordan. Even Mother Teresa.

The celebrity or the signature didn't matter, because Marino forged them all to near perfection.

After Marino was done, the ring's mastermind, Wayne Bray of San Marcos, shipped the items to retailers across the country.

For five years, the ring made millions by providing cheap, flawless, authenticated autographs to an unsuspecting American public.

It all ended on Oct. 13, 1999, when an FBI sting called Operation Bullpen brought the syndicate crashing down with numerous raids throughout North County and across the country.

The activities of both the FBI and the ring have been chronicled in a new book by author Kevin Nelson, "Operation Bullpen: The Inside Story of the Biggest Forgery Scam in American History."

But how safe is the autograph market today? Have recent additions to security helped fortify the process of keeping fraudulent signatures out? And what can one do to avoid being scammed?

"The FBI knocked the biggest ring operating out of business," Nelson said. "That's quite an accomplishment. Does that mean there are no forgers out there? No. The FBI said a lot of people they were interested in were never charged. It's also easy. That's why it's such a delicious scam. An overwhelming amount of people have no idea what a Mickey Mantle or Marilyn Monroe autograph looks like when Greg (Marino) is doing it so close to perfect.

"Greg Marino broke the law and never even left his house ... some said he never even got out of his pajamas."

And that's why a normally tight-lipped FBI has become loquacious regarding the topic.

The government is theorizing that by providing Nelson with information to tell the story, and giving CourtTV the freedom to film an episode of "Masterminds," it's re-educating the American public that fraudulent items are still out there.

"Unfortunately, that's true," said FBI agent Tim Fitzsimmons. "It's not eliminated ... It is a little unusual for the Bureau to reveal quite as much. The reasoning is the education of the public of this crime problem. It's probably as important as counteracting the threat with what the industry can do in improving security measures."

Said Nelson: "What the busts have done is raised awareness. They (FBI) were interested in getting the word out. This problem exists and you should be aware of it."

Inside the racket

The FBI's initial raid in October 1999 led to the conviction of 26 people, including several North County residents.

On the day of the raid, FBI agents seized an estimated $11,859,792 in items that included bank accounts, boats, a Ferrari, two residences, a motorcycle, jewelry and enough authentic and fraudulent items to fill an entire warehouse.

The ring was so successful, government officials said, because members used a sophisticated system that included near-perfect forgeries by Marino and the documentation to go along with them.

None of the people in the group were career criminals. Most of them, according to Nelson, were first-time offenders who were cash-strapped dealers because of the 1994 baseball strike.

"Part of the story is because (these guys) were just grabbing for their piece of the American dream," Nelson said. "A lot of people are responding to that. A lot of these guys were under money pressures and they found a way to have money fall out of the sky."

Nelson says in his book that Bray and Marino met by chance in 1994 when Marino stopped by Bray's Vista card store. At the height of the racket, Bray said he earned $150,000 a month in January and February of 1999.

Then the FBI came calling.

Bray turned himself in to authorities and later served six months in a halfway house near the Mexican border, according to Nelson's book.

Bray and his family still live in the area, and he operates a San Diego-area jewelry store. He was recently featured on "Masterminds: Foul Ball" and also spoke with Nelson for the book, as did many of those who were involved in the forgery ring.

"I crawled through a thousand yards of broken glass to save my family," Bray said. "Every person involved with Operation Bullpen cooperated. I was the first. I have committed transgressions and I'm sorry for any grief that I've caused my family. But I turned myself in because it was the right thing to do."

Like most of the others in the ring, Marino and his family moved out of the area.

According to the book, Marino spent two years in a Nevada prison before relocating to the East Coast. He told Nelson he's employed as a chef and has stayed away from the collecting world.

Getting those inside the syndicate to tell their story is one of the selling points of Nelson's book. The Benicia-based author researched the topic for three years and has allowed both the FBI and the ring to tell their sides of the story.

"The info was basically correct," Fitzsimmons said. "Kevin had me proof read. (Reading their story) was very interesting. It gave some background on the other side of this, and that to me was something new."

Said Bray: "As an outsider to the case I believe Kevin tried the best he could (to get it right)."

Market corrections

With millions of dollars being spent annually on sports memorabilia, authenticity is not just a throw-in for collectors ---- it's essential.

Collectors want as much information about signed items as they can get: Where was it signed? When was it signed? Were there witnesses? Where did it come from?

As such, the market has listened to consumers. The payoff has been huge said Darren Albin, who has operated Legends Sports Cards in Temecula for 16 years.

"It's done an amazing job," said Albin, who also owns a store in San Marcos. "(The raids) were devastating when it first went down. It almost took out the hobby. It took a while for people to come back. Now they don't buy stuff unless it's authentic."

In 2001, Major League Baseball became the first professional sport to institute its own authentication program, and immediately began selling items at MLB.com to assure customers what they were getting was legitimate.

The program, which took nearly two years to develop, utilizes a third-party authenticator in attendance at every home game of every team in Major League Baseball through its season.

The authenticator collects game-used items after each game ---- "a must", according to MLB officials ---- and affixes them with a hologram. The item is then catalogued on the internet so future consumers can see when and where it came from.

Since the program's inception, baseball officials said MLB has authenticated 1.1 million items.

The program, officials say, has been beneficial because fans can rest easy knowing their goods are legitimate.

"We were very aware of (the problem)," said Colin Hagen, Major League Baseball's vice president of licensing. "With the home run chase in 1998, what you saw going on were a lot of fakes. (Former Padre) Tony Gwynn went into a store and saw fakes. And fans are thinking, 'If I'm getting it in the team store it's got to be real.'

"All of these things were coming together at the same time. The fans weren't mad at Gwynn. They were mad at baseball and at the team. That bond was getting broken and frayed. We knew that we had to do something to provide that Good Housekeeping seal of approval ---- that MLB is standing behind this and letting you get closer to the game."

The anti-counterfeit hologram has been the seal of Upper Deck Authentication and Upper Deck Co.'s programs since its creation by the Carlsbad-based company in 1991.

Considered an industry leader by many collectors ---- and a company that played a crucial role in the early stages of Operation Bullpen by starting its own independent investigation, according to the book ---- Upper Deck started with the hologram and then instituted a five-step program for items signed by its contracted athletes.

The company has Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan under contract, among others.

Those stars conduct signing sessions ---- the first step in the process ---- which are "always" witnessed by an Upper Deck "Authenticated" representative, according to Upper Deck public relations manager Don Williams. That representative and the athlete then sign a record of the session that is kept on file.

From there, a serial numbered hologram is placed on each item, and a certificate of authenticity is assigned along with the matching hologram. Finally, each item is packaged with a registration card similar to a car title, giving the owner an option to register the item. The registration can then be passed on from owner to owner to provide a history.

"I would definitely say it's a safer market now because of companies with programs like Upper Deck," Williams said. "One reason a lot of the athletes sign with us is the way we protect their items."

Said Fitzsimmons: "A lot of security measures have been put in by the sports world. They (Upper Deck and MLB) have a system where you can go online and look at information about the signings. That has really helped a lot. Forgers like to keep it simple. It's quite an undertaking to circumvent a program like that."

Bray agreed that Upper Deck's witnessed signings were hard to defeat. But he also maintained that rogue employees keep the possibility of beating the system alive. Nelson's book also includes information provided by former Upper Deck investigator Anthony West, who was involved in several instances in which he caught employees attempting to steal materials.

"Yes (it's possible)," Bray said. "In 1997 and 1998, me and other card stores were offered rolls of (Upper Deck) holograms and blank certificates (by employees). It's still relying on other people. The only true way to make sure is to have a representative from the company there who knows what is signed and when it's signed."

Bray did mention that a PenCam ---- a camera attached to an autograph pen ---- which is currently utilized by Upper Deck would be nearly unbeatable. Williams said that Upper Deck has used the PenCam in some of its signings with James, Woods, Kobe Bryant and Hideki Matsui.

"If someone has that in place, a picture pen or a DNA pen, that's pretty good," Bray said.

When asked about wayward employees offering holograms and certificates, Williams elected not to comment.

"I can't comment on specifics," Williams said. "But we're constantly evaluating our security. We have some of the top security people and systems in place in the industry."

What to look for

Concerned that you can't tell a real autograph from a fake? That you're not sure whether or not the "T" in Poway resident Tony Gwynn's signature is supposed to have a loop? Look no further than the FBI's Web site.

While the site can't give detailed specifics about individual autographs, it provides a handful of ways to look for fraudulent items.

The first, and perhaps most telling sign, is the price. If you find an autographed Babe Ruth baseball in good condition and the price tag seems a little low, one might want to look elsewhere.

Bray pulled out a sports memorabilia magazine to offer examples. He pointed to an advertisement in a collecting magazine that offered a well-conditioned Ruth ball. Despite its obvious value ---- the ad estimated it to be worth $12,000 ---- the starting bid was $250.

Another rare item, a Christy Mathewson ball, had an estimated value of $6,000 with an opening bid of $150. Neither item listed a reserve ---- or minimum ---- sale price.

"There are major companies out there still perpetrating the sales of fraudulent goods through advertising space," Bray said. "It continues to perpetuate tons and tons of money. It's not being monitored closely enough."

Said Albin: "Big time you're aware of (price). As a shop owner, you're the last line of defense for the customers. You should know right from wrong."

Seven years later, the effects of Operation Bullpen still resonate. MLB has strengthened its security. Buying from MLB.com and Upper Deck should give buyers a much stronger sense of security.

But as for the market overall, "it's still a buyer-beware situation," Fitzsimmons said.

Cautions Bray: "If it wasn't signed in front of you, you'll never know."

Contact staff writer Dan Hayes at (760) 739-6643 or dhayes@nctimes.com.

What to know

FBI advice to protect buyers of sports memorabilia:

> A photograph of an athlete or celebrity signing an autograph is no guarantee the item is authentic.

> An individual hosting a paid signing session with an athlete and later selling the item is no guarantee of authenticity.

> Before purchasing autographed memorabilia, especially "vintage" items, ask questions about the item's history.

> Send requests for an athlete's autograph directly to his or her team.