{"id":3401,"date":"2026-06-30T18:09:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T18:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3401"},"modified":"2026-06-30T18:09:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T18:09:51","slug":"concord-sports-memorabilia-dealer-marketed-fake-willie-mays-items-in-million-dollar-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3401","title":{"rendered":"Concord sports memorabilia dealer marketed fake Willie Mays items in million-dollar scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"
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OAKLAND \u2014 A Concord sports memorabilia dealer who pleaded guilty in a fraud scheme involving the sale of counterfeit items falsely claimed to have been used by baseball legend Willie Mays received a 21-month sentence in federal prison Monday, authorities said.<\/p>\n

Read more San Jose Public Library\u2019s California Room wins a reprieve<\/a><\/p>\n

Daniel Damato, 40, of Concord, admitted to knowingly selling the counterfeit sports memorabllia and attempting to obstruct the FBI\u2019s investigation of the million-dollar scheme, U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian of the Northern District of California said in a statement. Missakian added that Damato also must pay restitution to his victims.<\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin sentenced Damato.<\/p>\n

Authorities charged Damato with one count of wire fraud in October 2025. According to Missakian, authorities alleged that Damato between 2022 and 2024 doctored and gave a false history regarding a baseball bat and a jersey that Damato marketed as game-used by Mays. Mays hit 660 home runs in a major league career that ran from 1951-1973, playing both with the New York Giants and the San Francisco Giants. Many baseball experts consider him to be the greatest player ever.<\/p>\n

According to Missakian, Damato in his plea admitted that the bat he sold one buyer for $100,000 had not been used in the 1954 World Series and that a jersey he sold a second victim for $50,000 had not been worn in a 1972 game.<\/p>\n

Read more Wartime Price Gouging Act would give California attorney general new powers<\/a><\/p>\n

Damato pleaded guilty on Dec. 8, 2025, acknowledging that the bat was an inch shorter than what Mays used during his career, Missakian said. The attorney added that the court also found that Damato defrauded a third victim, taking $900,000 from that person while failing to deliver the promised memorablia.<\/p>\n

The FBI at one point in the investigation executed a search warrant at Damato\u2019s residence. Missakian said that after that search,\u00a0 Damato contacted at least one potential witness in an attempt to obstruct the investigation.<\/p>\n

Judge Martinez-Olguin also ordered Damato to pay back $1,068,940 in restitution, Missakian said<\/p>\n

Read more California revives $900 million homelessness program after Newsom reverses course<\/a><\/p>\n

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A Concord sports memorabilia dealer who pleaded guilty in a fraud scheme involving the sale of counterfeit items falsely claimed to have been used by baseball legend Willie Mays received a 21-month sentence in federal prison Monday, authorities said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nConcord sports memorabilia dealer marketed fake Willie Mays items in million-dollar scheme - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3401\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Concord sports memorabilia dealer marketed fake Willie Mays items in million-dollar scheme - 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