usted: Cops Say They’ve Got Serial Ruth Signed Ball Counterfeiter
Posted by sportscollectorsdaily on 8/19/11 •

Police in Largo, Fla., arrested a 40-year-old man they believe orchestrated a scam to sell fake Babe Ruth signed baseballs to pawn shops & second hand stores throughout the state. Marc Szakaly of Land 'o Lakes was taken into custody at his home and booked into the Pasco County Jail on Wednesday night. Five hours later, he was out on $50,000 bond. He's been charged with organized fraud.

Investigators say Szakaly would take one of the baseballs, which was artificially aged to appear vintage, a somewhat convincing but phony PSA/DNA letter into shops, tell employees he had a family emergency & needed quick cash. Typically, an offer of $1,000-1,500 was made & accepted.

It was only later the new owners realized both the ball & the COA were modern replicas. Police say Szakaly's use of baseballs made by manufacturers who didn't start producing them until after Ruth's death was a tell-tale sign they weren't real. One shop even sent an email to Sports Collectors Daily, complete with scans and a copy of a COA, hoping to find a buyer.

We reported on the growing number of cases back in May, and followed up after more local media reports surfaced in June. Still, the case remained open as detectives with several different agencies realized the same crime was being committed over and over again in counties around the state. Despite the strikingly similar approach, police say Szakaly was able to perpetrate the crime again and again until this week. 19 law enforcement agencies across the state eventually became involved in the case.