Post by robeiae on Apr 20, 2017 14:02:28 GMT -5
...and make room for Memorabiliagate: nypost.com/2017/04/13/heres-proof-eli-manning-was-in-on-giants-memorabilia-scheme/
So, for whatever reasons, game-used equipment is highly sought after by collectors (nothing like a dirty, sweaty jersey to hang in a place of honor on one's wall). And apparently--this is news to me--players get to keep a lot of it, so they are free to do what Manning did: sell it off to collectors. Because as everyone knows, superstars like Manning are generally hard-up for cash.
Anyway, this particular mess I find fascinating, because it goes back to an FBI investigation involving a number of memorabilia dealers accused of selling phony "game-worn" jerseys. All of them plead guilty, except for one-- Eric Inselberg (one of the plaintives in the case against Manning, the Giants, et al)--who claimed he had been duped by some of the Feds' witnesses. The Feds dropped their case against him.
Sure seems like the Feds thought their witnesses were lying. I'm not sure why they didn't charge them with perjury...actually, I am: probably because they didn't want to lose their cases against the other dealers. But why the hell did the Giants keep these turkeys on the payroll?
It all looks pretty bad for good ol' Eli now, though.
A smoking-gun email from Eli Manning proves he quarterbacked a conspiracy to defraud collectors by pawning off phony game-worn gear as the real deal, according to court documents obtained by The Post.
The two-time Super Bowl MVP, who has a contract with memorabilia dealer Steiner Sports, instructed a team manager to get the bogus equipment so it could be sold off as authentic, the papers say.
“2 helmets that can pass as game used. That is it. Eli,” Manning wrote to equipment manager Joe Skiba from a BlackBerry on April 27, 2010, according to the documents.
Less than 20 minutes later, Manning wrote to his marketing agent, Alan Zucker, who requested the helmets, saying: “Should be able to get them for tomorrow.”
The two-time Super Bowl MVP, who has a contract with memorabilia dealer Steiner Sports, instructed a team manager to get the bogus equipment so it could be sold off as authentic, the papers say.
“2 helmets that can pass as game used. That is it. Eli,” Manning wrote to equipment manager Joe Skiba from a BlackBerry on April 27, 2010, according to the documents.
Less than 20 minutes later, Manning wrote to his marketing agent, Alan Zucker, who requested the helmets, saying: “Should be able to get them for tomorrow.”
So, for whatever reasons, game-used equipment is highly sought after by collectors (nothing like a dirty, sweaty jersey to hang in a place of honor on one's wall). And apparently--this is news to me--players get to keep a lot of it, so they are free to do what Manning did: sell it off to collectors. Because as everyone knows, superstars like Manning are generally hard-up for cash.
Anyway, this particular mess I find fascinating, because it goes back to an FBI investigation involving a number of memorabilia dealers accused of selling phony "game-worn" jerseys. All of them plead guilty, except for one-- Eric Inselberg (one of the plaintives in the case against Manning, the Giants, et al)--who claimed he had been duped by some of the Feds' witnesses. The Feds dropped their case against him.
Prosecutor Michael Love of the Northern Illinois U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the feds would drop the charges against Eric Inselberg at a May 2 hearing in Rockford, Ill., before U.S. District Court Judge Philip G. Reinhard.
“I can tell the court that the U.S. Attorney's Office reevaluated the strength of the case in light of some new facts that were pointed out to us by defense counsel, and we determined that the prosecution was no longer appropriate,” Love said...
Inselberg’s attorneys, Michael Critchley and Edmund DeNoia, claimed in court papers that Edward Wagner, the Giants’ equipment/locker room manager, lied when he told the FBI that he never sold or gave game-used items to Inselberg. Inselberg had 234 photographs and a notebook that documented numerous jersey deals between him and Wagner...
The court papers also say that Giants equipment director Joseph Skiba and his brother, assistant equipment manager Ed Skiba, lied to the FBI and the grand jury about providing game-used items to Inselberg. Inselberg and Joseph Skiba received a patent in 2006 for a lightweight helmet they say minimizes injuries.
None of the Giants’ employees have been charged with perjury or making false statements to a federal agent, and a spokesman for the Northern Illinois U.S. Attorney Gary Shapiro declined to comment. A source close to the Giants’ employees who requested anonymity said all three are still employed by the club.
“I can tell the court that the U.S. Attorney's Office reevaluated the strength of the case in light of some new facts that were pointed out to us by defense counsel, and we determined that the prosecution was no longer appropriate,” Love said...
Inselberg’s attorneys, Michael Critchley and Edmund DeNoia, claimed in court papers that Edward Wagner, the Giants’ equipment/locker room manager, lied when he told the FBI that he never sold or gave game-used items to Inselberg. Inselberg had 234 photographs and a notebook that documented numerous jersey deals between him and Wagner...
The court papers also say that Giants equipment director Joseph Skiba and his brother, assistant equipment manager Ed Skiba, lied to the FBI and the grand jury about providing game-used items to Inselberg. Inselberg and Joseph Skiba received a patent in 2006 for a lightweight helmet they say minimizes injuries.
None of the Giants’ employees have been charged with perjury or making false statements to a federal agent, and a spokesman for the Northern Illinois U.S. Attorney Gary Shapiro declined to comment. A source close to the Giants’ employees who requested anonymity said all three are still employed by the club.
It all looks pretty bad for good ol' Eli now, though.