Two hour interview with.... Bill Mastro

Snowman · #1 10-18-2024, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Here is an excerpt from the actual indictment. As evidenced by a thread last year, there is a lot of misunderstanding of this proceeding and the role of the Wagner. Bottom line, people who claim it had NOTHING to do with the case are flat out wrong, but at the same time, it certainly was not the focus of it. The focus was clearly shill bidding.

11. It was further part of the scheme that in marketing materials distributed
on behalf of Mastro Auctions, which were intended to portray Mastro Auctions to
potential bidders and consignors as a premier seller of valuable items for which a
strong market existed, defendant MASTRO represented that Mastro Auctions had sold
the most expensive baseball card in the world, a Honus Wagner T-206 card. In making
this representation, however, defendant MASTRO knowingly omitted the material fact
that defendant MASTRO had altered the baseball card by cutting the sides of the card
in a manner that, if disclosed, would have significantly reduced the value of the card.

I seem to recall the claim made by myself and others wasn't that it had nothing to do with the case but rather that it had nothing to do with the sentencing. He wasn't charged for trimming the Wagner and he wasn't sentenced for it. It seems to have only come up because he was trying to propose a plea deal and/or as a way to demonstrate what sort of character he was.

Peter_Spaeth · #2 10-19-2024, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowman

I seem to recall the claim made by myself and others wasn't that it had nothing to do with the case but rather that it had nothing to do with the sentencing. He wasn't charged for trimming the Wagner and he wasn't sentenced for it. It seems to have only come up because he was trying to propose a plea deal and/or as a way to demonstrate what sort of character he was.

I just quoted from the indictment, which IS the charge. We went through this at length before. I suggest that before you continue down the same wrong road, you reread the prior thread where virtually everything you thought was shown to be objectively wrong by reference to the case documents. He did not bring it up, the government did. And he responded. Now technically he was not charged with the actual trimming of the card, which of course is not a crime, he was charged with not disclosing the trimming in marketing materials where he touted Mastronet's prior sales of the Wagner. In other words, fraud. Again, it was not the focus of the case, shill bidding was. And I would presume shill bidding is what the judge was focused on in sentencing Mastro, although there was some discussion of the Wagner charge in the relevant sentencing documents, also referenced in the other thread.

https://www.net54baseball.com/showth...ght=memorandum

Dayenu.

Lorewalker · #3 10-19-2024, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I just quoted from the indictment, which IS the charge. We went through this at length before. I suggest that before you continue down the same wrong road, you reread the prior thread where virtually everything you thought was shown to be objectively wrong by reference to the case documents. He did not bring it up, the government did. And he responded. Now technically he was not charged with the actual trimming of the card, which of course is not a crime, he was charged with not disclosing the trimming in marketing materials where he touted Mastronet's prior sales of the Wagner. In other words, fraud. Again, it was not the focus of the case, shill bidding was. And I would presume shill bidding is what the judge was focused on in sentencing Mastro, although there was some discussion of the Wagner charge in the relevant sentencing documents, also referenced in the other thread.

https://www.net54baseball.com/showth...ght=memorandum

Dayenu.

LOLOLOL. So are you suggesting that this was not a good double down bet by Snowman?

Snowman · #4 10-19-2024, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

LOLOLOL. So are you suggesting that this was not a good double down bet by Snowman?

I'll go one step further. I'm tripling down on my claim. Peter's take is bullshit. And there are numerous lawyers in the hobby that disagree with his take as well. Mastro was not charged or sentenced for trimming the Wagner or for not disclosing said trimming. Period.

Peter_Spaeth · #5 10-19-2024, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowman

I'll go one step further. I'm tripling down on my claim. Peter's take is bullshit. And there are numerous lawyers in the hobby that disagree with his take as well. Mastro was not charged or sentenced for trimming the Wagner. Period.

Not my "take" bro, read the indictment. Tell me which words you don't understand. Better yet, tell me what words support your position. As for sentencing, I already said clearly I didn't think it was much if any of a factor. You can bluster and BS all you want but it doesn't change the document. Once more, with feeling:

11. It was further part of the scheme that in marketing materials distributed
on behalf of Mastro Auctions, which were intended to portray Mastro Auctions to
potential bidders and consignors as a premier seller of valuable items for which a
strong market existed, defendant MASTRO represented that Mastro Auctions had sold
the most expensive baseball card in the world, a Honus Wagner T-206 card. In making
this representation, however, defendant MASTRO knowingly omitted the material fact
that defendant MASTRO had altered the baseball card by cutting the sides of the card
in a manner that, if disclosed, would have significantly reduced the value of the card.

Period.

Snowman · #6 10-19-2024, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Not my "take" bro, read the indictment. Tell me which words you don't understand. Better yet, tell me what words support your position. As for sentencing, I already said clearly I didn't think it was much if any of a factor. You can bluster and BS all you want but it doesn't change the document. Once more, with feeling:

11. It was further part of the scheme that in marketing materials distributed
on behalf of Mastro Auctions, which were intended to portray Mastro Auctions to
potential bidders and consignors as a premier seller of valuable items for which a
strong market existed, defendant MASTRO represented that Mastro Auctions had sold
the most expensive baseball card in the world, a Honus Wagner T-206 card. In making
this representation, however, defendant MASTRO knowingly omitted the material fact
that defendant MASTRO had altered the baseball card by cutting the sides of the card
in a manner that, if disclosed, would have significantly reduced the value of the card.

Period.

What does the indictment have to do with this conversation? You can put whatever you want in an indictment. What matters is what he was actually found guilty of and sentenced for. That's what we're talking about. Show me where I can find something along the lines of the jury saying "As to count #11, we the jury find the charge of the defendant trimming the Honus Wagner baseball card and failing to disclose said alteration upon selling it: GUILTY".

You can't because it didn't happen.

I'm not saying it wasn't brought up at trial. I'm saying he wasn't sentenced for it and he didn't go to prison for it.

Peter_Spaeth · #7 10-19-2024, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowman

What does the indictment have to do with this conversation? You can put whatever you want in an indictment. What matters is what he was actually found guilty of and sentenced for. That's what we're talking about. Show me where I can find something along the lines of the jury saying "As to count #11, we the jury find the charge of the defendant trimming the Honus Wagner baseball card and failing to disclose said alteration upon selling it: GUILTY".

You can't because it didn't happen.

I'm not saying it wasn't brought up at trial. I'm saying he wasn't sentenced for it and he didn't go to prison for it.

You have no clue Travis. Geez. Stop moving the goalposts. You claimed he wasn't CHARGED with it. Post 91 and many prior posts to the same effect. The indictment is precisely the document that sets out the CHARGES against him. So yes, he was CHARGED with it. The indictment has everything to do with this conversation. He then pleaded guilty to the one count indictment which included this CHARGE and was sentenced. There was no trial and no jury because he pleaded GUILTY. If you actually listened instead of just argued from ignorance and ego you might understand this better.

Recall that in the prior thread your ridiculous theory was that Mastro himself injected this into the case to win brownie points.

Peter_Spaeth · #8 10-19-2024, 06:00 PM

Geez, even the official U.S. Attorney's Office press release discussing the sentence talks about the Wagner.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr...l-bidding-scam

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