[Mark]

See, it is so easily explained

Port Richey man accused of selling fake memorabilia

By LISA A. DAVIS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 17, 2010

Kenneth LanePORT RICHEY - A Port Richey man is accused of peddling fake memorabilia and bilking a victim out of thousands of dollars, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

Pasco deputies say Kenneth Edward Lane, 53, sold a baseball supposedly autographed by Chicago Cubs hall-of-famer Gabby Hartnett and mobster Al Capone. In November, Avraham Bash, 24, of Sunny Isles Beach, agreed to purchase the ball for $6,500. It was expected to arrive along with a certificate of authenticity.

It didn't.

Bash sent a personal check for $1,500 and a cashier's check for the remaining $5,000, but he never received the ball, according to an arrest report. He e-mailed Lane several times but never got a response.

Records indicate Lane deposited the money into his bank accounts, according to the report.

Bash did some research and learned Lane had been selling counterfeit memorabilia.

In June 2009, Lane sold Bash a Christmas card purportedly autographed by Al Capone for $2,500. That turned out to be fake, too, a sheriff's office report states.

Deputies caught up to Lane Wednesday at his home at 9324 Cochise Lane, and he admitted that he never sent Bash the baseball or tried to refund his money, according to an arrest report. He was arrested on a grand theft charge and posted $2,000 bail Thursday.

Lane told a detective he had sent the money to someone in Pennsylvania to get the baseball but never received it. He said he didn't know the man's name but hadn't had a problem in past deals.

Reached at home Thursday, Lane said the trouble is all a misunderstanding.

He said he purchased the baseball from the man in Pennsylvania who died before he could send it. Lane, who says he collects and sells autographed items as a hobby, said he's tried to contact the man's family for reimbursement, but he hasn't heard back. Now, he can't remember the man's name.

"I'm not running out of town," he said. "I'm not shirking responsibility. I will pay him back."

Reporter Lisa A. Davis can be reached at (727) 815-1083.