Three people have been charged with selling more than 1,100 counterfeit Jason Kelsey items. According to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
Robert Capone, 51, of Philadelphia. LeeAnne Blanco, 43, of Bristol, Rhode Island. Joseph Parenti, 39, of Cranston, Rhode Island, is charged with 60 felonies of forgery, theft, deceptive business practices and other charges related to the sale of approximately $200,000 in counterfeit Kelce memorabilia. It was done.
Kelce, 37, played 13 seasons with the Eagles before retiring after the 2023 season and is currently an NFL analyst for ESPN.
The items allegedly signed by Kelsey at the Valley Forge Casino Hotel on June 11 and 12 were put up for sale by Overtime Promotions, owned by Capone, and Diamond Legends, owned by Parenti, the prosecutor's office said in a statement. It is said that it had been served. .
They were said to have been “authenticated” by Blanco, who works for Becket Authentication Services, and the 1,138 signed items included jerseys, footballs, helmets, hats and photographs.
Montgomery County Police received a tip about the forgery from TCH Humphreys LLC.
The group had signed on to perform Kelce's official autograph session at a private event on June 11 and 12 at Valley Forge Casino.
According to the DA's office, an investigation into the forgery charges revealed that Capone, Parenti and Blanco conspired to use Blanco's Beckett authentication services to create fake autographed merchandise and sell them as authentic.
According to the investigation, while the three did attend the event at Valley Forge Casino and received authentic memorabilia, it is suspected that other memorabilia was stored offsite for later counterfeiting or sale. That's what it means.
Selling counterfeit products without Kelce's consent cost the former Aegis star approximately $200,000 in financial damages.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 5, 2025.
Kelce, an All-Pro and six-time Super Bowl champion, has become a media darling since his retirement.
He currently participates in ESPN's “Monday Night Countdown,” co-hosts the podcast “New Heights” with his brother, Chiefs tight end Travis, and hosts “They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce” on ESPN. Serving as
Jason and his wife Kylie are pregnant with their fourth daughter.
