ROCKFORD – The CEO of Vintage Sports Authentics, LLC, pleaded guilty in federal court in Rockford to charges of mail fraud. Steven Jensen, 40, of Osseo, Minn., admitted he schemed to market and sell fraudulent sports memorabilia represented as “game used,” or worn in an actual game.

According to a written plea agreement, Jensen advertised game-used jerseys for sale from July 2007 through July 2011. The jerseys were advertised in Vintage Internet auctions as having been game used by famous players such as Alex Rodriguez. Jensen sold the jerseys through his company Vintage Sports (doing business as Vintage Authentics, LLC), knowing the jerseys were not used during an actual game. Jensen’s sentencing hearing is scheduled on May 29, 2012.
Jensen was arrested last August in Rosemont, Ill., where he was attending a sports collectors’ convention. The case was transferred earlier this month to the U.S. District Court in Rockford for Jensen’s guilty plea and sentencing.
Mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as well as restitution to the victims. The Court may also impose a fine totaling twice the loss to any victim or twice the gain to the defendant, whichever is greater.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois