Seventh-Inning Stretch · Off the Bench
The Forged Signature Wholesaler
United States v. Harrison (2001)
Charge: Conspiracy and federal income tax evasion on unreported income from wholesaling forged autographed memorabiliaCourt: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of CaliforniaDocket: Off the Bench
Is a memorabilia wholesaler who bought from forgers and filed no tax returns guilty of conspiracy and tax evasion?
The facts
A San Diego-area man ran a small company that supplied autographed sports and celebrity memorabilia to retail shops in Southern California. Federal agents in a large forgery investigation found the items came straight from a family of forgers who signed the names themselves, and shops resold them for hundreds of thousands of dollars to buyers who thought they were real. He also never filed federal tax returns for 1997 and 1998, hiding more than $150,000 of income from the trade. Prosecutors charged him with conspiracy and tax evasion.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: United States v. Harrison, U.S. District Court, S.D. Cal. (San Diego); two-count information; sentenced Aug. 10, 2001 (no reported opinion)
Read more at justice.gov. The source reveals the outcome.