Roger Hooper - Guilty
 

I'm not sure if anyone remembers or not, but Roger Hooper, who was charged with 5 different counts that involved resealing wax packs, dipping coins, and selling forged signatures finally had his trial and it concluded last night. A five-day trial that ended at around 12:15 AM this morning when the jury found him guilt on 4 of the 5 charges including a felony 1 charge, which I believe carries mandatory jail time and a $100,000 fine.

Don't forget your soap-on-a-rope Roger.

He obviously needed a better defense lawyer to spin him into a hero.

Yes, if only he could have been saving the orphans and feeding the whales he might have turned that jury his way.

hooper
 

I remember going to that guys store in PA., he always had tons of vintage stuff and reasonable priced, although he did sell me a fake copy of a rare Beatles 45 one time

The system worked
 

He has been known to be a thief in these parts for some time. He even had his kid out peddling fakes for him around eastern PA. His kid was peddling everything from fake bazookas to fake 1941 double play cards. Hope the put him in a cell with someone that makes him his girl. He deserves it all the people he's ripped off over the years.

the story
 

Dan M sent the story over....so here ya' go...


http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.co...d%20of%20fraud

And Coaches Corner is alive and well. Can somebody please explain why the feds haven't shut them down?

Maybe they have a better defense lawyer. Maybe they are actually the victim.

Having a better defense lawyer would help them if they were charged with something. But has any action whatsoever ever been taken against them? I get the impression they conduct business unscathed.

The value of a defense lawyer is not necessarily limited to post-indictment.

Peter- I meant charged with anything, which I changed as you posted.

That's all an indictment is, a charge. People should keep that in mind with respect to the talk concerning Mastro and Allen. The government still has to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, unless there is a plea.

I always assumed they hid behind all those LOA's that come with the lots. I assume their defense would be "we went to the trouble and expense of having every one of our lots examined by a forensic expert, so what did we do wrong?" Or something to that effect.

Thanks Peter- I don't know all the legal terms. I count on you for that.

Barry, there are about 200 other criminals operating auction houses, engaging in shill bidding or altering cards as we speak who aren't the target of a federal investigation either. Unless and until we raise the tax rates to about 95% and many unemployed people get off their asses and start working so that they too can be taxed at a 95% rate there probably won't be enough money to fund all the investigations you want.

Jeff- wouldn't you say that Coaches Corner is selling this kind of material on a rather large scale, and for a very long time?

I would guess that forged autos are much tougher to prove then shill bidding and card doctoring. Of course, if the forgeries are done by dot matrix printer, its a tad easier...

Matt- in the case against Hooper, Jimmy Spence was called in and testified that Hooper was selling fake sigs. He could do the same against CC or anyone else.

Barry - it seemed that the key to his testimony was seeing the dot patterns from a dot matrix printer on the sigs. From what I understand, these were not hand made forgeries, but rather printed ones, which are much easier to prove conclusively. Assuming a forgery is done in the correct pen, on the correct medium, I'd think it difficult to legally prove that it wasn't done by a certain individual - maybe he signed when he had something in his eye, or signed in an airplane where his movement was restricted or any number of reasons a sig might look different then a normal exemplar.

Matt- agreed the dot matrix ones were easy to tell. But can't an expert witness testify that even a signature rendered in ink is no good?

Barry, I don't know. Have you contacted the FBI office local to Coaches Corner and made a complaint? Or any local law enforcement office?

No, I have not. I've never done any business with them. But I'm willing to bet they have bidders who have purchased numerous bad items from them. You would think at least one or more of them would be pretty irate after discovering they bought countefeit material. Those are the people who should and maybe have lodged complaints against them.

Barry, people other than victims can make complaints or report illegal activity. I'm not sure if you have any free time but if you do you should contact state and federal law enforcement if you have reason to believe that they are engaging in fraud.

"I'm not sure if you have any free time..."

Thanks Jeff, I appreciate that. I'll try to squeeze a call into them in my first available minute.

How does CC evade criminal prosecution? From what I understand, they provide a refund to anyone who complains that an autograph is bogus without any hassle -- thereby protecting themselves from an actual theft accusation. I believe they then turn around and charge the consignor of said bogus merchandise a "returned item" fee.

They only stay in business by playing the odds - that A) most people can't determine a real autograph from a fake one, B) trust the CC cert actually means something or C) don't want to spend the money to send the autograph to a real authenticator.

By my estimation, 95 percent of CC autograph buyers should be demanding a refund.

almost guarantee
 

I will almost guarantee that Coaches Corner has a blurb in their terms and conditions that protects them from all but the most blatant fraud. I doubt they step over that line too often. I am not taking their side whatsoever, I am just saying that they probably have their arses covered in most cases. Now, if you go the civil route, I could see that potentially being a big problem for them.

Here's the docket.

http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketS...erID=201183801

A little bump.

http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-cumbe...,6959919.story

I agree but.......
 

Hi David,
I am glad justice prevailed. The most important part of this is restitution.
I am just sad to read the soap comment. There is nothing comical about rape.
Soap on a rope implies forced sex followed by humiliation that leads to suicide or murder with the rope.
I hope restitution gets made, and that he sees the error of his ways while avoiding fights, rape and torture.
Have a great week and enjoy our hobby.
Bill Hedin
PS: Gun charges, too? The use of CI's (snitches) makes me want to throw up!

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the ethics lesson and for explaining what I was saying. I'm sure it was lost on most people.

Take it easy.

David

Bill-Illegally selling guns makes me sick, not the use of CIs.

+1


Geez Bill, you are way over the top on your comments. The rope part means that the soap won't slip out of your hands and hit the floor so you need to bend down and pick it up. It's more of an anti-rape comment.

Bill, Let me just say that I have nothing but respect for you due to what I have seen on these boards. BUT....(You knew this was coming I am sure)..the use of confidential informants makes you want to yak but a man dealing in illegal guns doesnt? Seriously...where do you think that pistol in the story was going to end up? In a collectors hands or in a criminals hands? I would rather have a CI snitching on scum like this guy than allowing that handgun to take an innocent life. The fact that this activity was happening should make your stomach churn and not the fact a informant was used to bring a turd to justice!

OK I am off of my soapbox...carry on....nothing more to see here.....keep moving people....


I am signing my name just so there is no confusion as to the author of this post

Andrew White

It's funny that should be mentioned. At the sentencing hearing Hooper's attorney asked about that very line from this very post and what I meant by it. Before I could say anything the DA told me not to answer. I thought the bailiff was going to fall over laughing.

So not only selling guns illegally but selling guns that had been stolen......criminal steals gun, sells gun to buy blow probably, innocent shop owner buys gun and sells to another criminal to use in another crime. Bravo to the informants......

David, what sentence did Hooper receive on the card fraud? The article didn't even mention that he was just convicted last year. And what was your involvement in the case?

I *believe* the sentence was 10 to 23 months. It was definitely 10 months on the low end. His court fines, not counting the nearly $70k in restitution he owes, were over $130k. He sold me a bunch of resealed wax and fake autographs for over $5000.