Louisiana Collector’s Beware – A $350 Million Forgery Scandal Rocks Sports Collectors

Sports fans and memorabilia collectors are reeling, and collectors here in Louisiana are feeling the sting, too. One of the biggest sports collectible forgery rings in history may have just been busted, with confessions of over 4 million fake autographs flooding the collectible market, making over $350 million along the way. Because of the New Orleans Saints and LSU Tigers' rich history in Louisiana, the news is hitting lots of Bayou State collectors hard.

Every Autograph Sold In The Last 25 Years Now Under Scrutiny

Brett LeMieux came forward and admitted his involvement in what is likely to be the biggest sports forgery bust in American history. While police were executing a search warrant on Brett's property, they discovered Brett LeMieux had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In a giant Facebook post Brett made to his account before his passing, he detailed exactly how deep the rabbit hole went.

According to Brett's admission, the group had sold over 4 million fake collector's items with over $350 million in sales. The method of creating fake authentication stickers got so good that not even his own employees were aware that the merchandise they handled wasn't authentic.

The post detailed how for years, he and a small crew managed to create a perfect fakes of each of the different stickers and holograms used by major authentication companies like JSA and Panini. In his admission he named the key players in the counterfeit ring and warned all collectors that "every autograph sold in the last 25 years you should have it looked at."

The Authenticity Crisis Hits Home for Louisiana Collectors

With admissions that these bootleggers flooded collectors with over 80,000 fake autographs after Kobe Bryant passed away, collectors who've rested easy thinking that they're JSA authentication sticker was enough proof might have a new fear.

Collectors of signed LSU Tigers or New Orleans Saints helmets, cards, balls, jerseys, and anything Fanatics can get signed don't even know the worst of it yet, as there's not enough information on how to spot these counterfeits yet. Louisiana's diehard fans are feeling the panic most collectors are experiencing right now, but only with time to let this story unfold will we learn the real damage these fakes will do to the Bayou State's collectors.