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LANSING, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney Mark Totten announced today that Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou sentenced Bryan Kenner, 57, of Norton Shores, to 30 months in prison for selling $43,354.94 worth of antique baseball card packs that he marked as original and unopened. The packs were opened, the valuable cards removed, and resealed to look like new, unopened packs. Kennert has been involved in schemes to sell counterfeit sports cards and packages for at least 30 years. Federal agents also found fake sports cards in his home that, if authentic, would have been worth $7.3 million.
“Kennert took advantage of unsuspecting victims for 30 years,” he said US Attorney Mark Totten. “Consumers need to trust that the products they buy are genuine. My office continues to work hard to eliminate consumer fraud.”
Between April and October 2019, a couple purchased $43,354.94 worth of baseball card packs from Kennert, which were later found to be tampered with. The couple met Kennert after visiting an antique store in Muskegon, Michigan, where they saw packs of baseball cards listed as original and unopened for sale. The couple researched the packages, determined the price was negotiable, and met with Kennert eight times between April and October 2019 to purchase packages. When the couple went to authenticate and check the condition of the packages, they were told the packages were resealed and almost worthless.
After learning of the fraud, federal agents executed a search warrant at Kennert’s home. There, they found counterfeit cards with an estimated value of $7.3 million, along with supplies needed to make fake card packs. Agents interviewed Kennert, who admitted to making about $100,000 a year selling counterfeit cards and packages.
“I commend our HSI Grand Rapids Special Agents for their hard work on this case and bringing this fraudster to justice.” HSI Detroit Special Agent Angie Salazar. “We will continue to dismantle these systems wherever we find them to protect hard-working Americans. We encourage all members of our community to remain vigilant and investigate deals that seem too good to be true.”
This incident was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigators. Assistant US Attorney Davin M. Reust prosecuted this case.
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