As some of you may know, though I rarely post comments, I am a Net 54 member and often read its discussions—especially regarding autograph-related topics. And hearing now that Doug Allen is sentenced, I would like to address the conversation of me which has taken place here over the last several days.
Exhibit E (“EE”) lists me as a “shill bidder” on 38 different Mastro-Legendary (“M-L”) lots during the period from December 2007 - February 2009. Despite what it says, the document’s assertion that I was a shill bidder is categorically untrue.
I have NEVER shill bid in a Mastro auction, Legendary auction, or any other auction.
There was, however, a reason why the government included my name in relation to those items. Here is what happened.
On six occasions from 2007-2008 M-L paid me to authenticate autograph material consigned to their auctions. Sometime during or before this period, M-L auctions instituted a written code of conduct (“COC”), see:
http://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com...de-of-conduct/
According to paragraph 2 of its COC, M-L violated its own rules by accepting bids by me, one of its authenticators, on items they knew to be consigned by M-L or another party as defined in paragraph 2. This violation applied to the 38 lots in question, all of which I had bid on to win (succeeding on six), and all of which I am told were owned by an entity defined in COC, paragraph 2. Until the release of EE, I never knew the identities of the consignors of those items, or that my bid on any of those lots constituted a violation of any M-L rules. And I also did not know until last week that M-L was obligated under its COC to prohibit me from bidding on those lots.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has confirmed that it has absolutely no evidence that I shill bid on any item, and that
these 38 lots were added to EE because M-L violated its own publically released rules (COC, paragraph 2) by their acceptance and inclusion of my bids on items they knew were owned by M-L, a M-L employee or a M-L affiliate –
and not because of any wrongdoing by me.
Despite my desire to release this statement before now, I wanted to allow the final proceedings in the criminal case to conclude first. And it is my understanding that those ended today with Doug Allen’s sentencing.
I cannot speak to any situation but my own. But if any of you have questions regarding this matter as it relates to me, please post them here and I will do my best to answer them.
--Kevin Keating