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- Federal agents in Cincinnati seized three shipments containing $441,000 worth of fake MLB and NHL championship rings.
- The rings were made up to copy championship rings given to the Dodgers, Penguins, and Nationals.
- More crime news here.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) added to their fake championship ring collection recently when federal agents seized three shipments containing 294 counterfeit rings.
The fake championship rings were created to look like those given to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball.
The shipments were intercepted in Cincinnati, Ohio of all places and originated in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Related: These Two Dozen Fake NBA Championship Rings Valued At $560K Seized By US Customs Look Pretty Legit
The 94 fake championship rings that came from Singapore and United Arab Emirates would have been worth a total of $141,000 had they been genuine, reports the CBP.
The 200 counterfeit Los Angeles Dodgers championship rings which came from Saudi Arabia would have been worth $300,000 had they been able to have been sold.
The rings, destined for private residences in California, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, were determined to have been fake by the CBP’s Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEEs).
“Sports fans often pay big money for sports memorabilia, but counterfeit sports memorabilia de-funds our sports organizations, funds criminal networks, and scams the fans. Officers in Cincinnati work hard each day to protect our domestic businesses and American consumers,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago.
The CBP called the rings “poor-quality”, but I don’t know… they look pretty dang legit to me.
2 shipments containing counterfeit championship rings of the last 2 World Series winners were seized by Cincinnati CBP. The rings were determined to be counterfeits due to their poor quality, however, consumers could be duped into purchasing these fakes. https://t.co/yFPzAdIbS7 pic.twitter.com/dNM5QYcuJL
— CBP Chicago (@CBPChicago) October 22, 2021
On Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol announced the Cincinnati CBP had also seized a shipment of assorted counterfeit Super Bowl rings that had arrived from China, including rings supposedly made for Hines Ward and … Tom Brady? I guess if you’re going to counterfeit a Super Bowl ring you might as well shoot for the stars, right?
Buying sports memorabilia online is dangerous. Counterfeiters will push phony items w/ false promises & outlandish claims. Cincinnati CBP recently stopped a shipment which contained 30 counterfeit assorted Super Bowl Rings that were coming from China heading to GA. BUYER BEWARE! pic.twitter.com/LKuWQcFqGW
— CBP Chicago (@CBPChicago) November 2, 2021