Three individuals, Robert Capone, LeAnn Branco, and Joseph Parenti, have been arrested and charged in a fraudulent scheme involving the sale of a substantial amount of counterfeit memorabilia purportedly autographed by Jason Kelce. According to a report from CLLCT, they face 60 felony counts including forgery, theft, and deceptive business practices, with the total estimated value of the forged memorabilia reaching approximately $200,000. The district attorney’s office noted that detectives and Upper Merion Township police were alerted to over 1,100 pieces of memorabilia featuring Kelce’s forged signatures.
The 1,138 forged items—comprising jerseys, helmets, mini helmets, hats, photos, and footballs—are believed to have been falsely verified by Branco, an independent contractor for Beckett Authentication Services, as per authorities. These charges follow a lawsuit filed by Beckett Collectibles against Branco and Parenti, which claims, “Branco and Parenti have conflicting stories on what happened. But one thing remains certain — Kelce never signed the items. Instead, defendants flooded the market with forged autographed items, which they then sold. Unfortunately, many were duped, including Beckett.”
Beckett stated that it intends to reimburse all affected customers, estimating the total cost to be around $250,000. “BAS leadership has a detailed and itemized list of all the fraudulent pieces stemming from the June event and will work to ensure that all customers are fully refunded as soon as possible with proof of purchase and receipt of said items,” Beckett explained in a statement. “This announcement is being made now as criminal investigations into this matter have matured, allowing Beckett to proceed without jeopardizing any investigation.” Meanwhile, CLLCT reported that Kelce maintains he did not sign the memorabilia in question.
