Very interesting reading

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

Do you really know who you are buying from or selling to?

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

Greg

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

Greg, Any of these folks in the card business?

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Posted By: Jim Crandell

I saw this earlier today. The articles are certainly making the rounds--four people have forwarded it to me today.

Hal--read it more carefully and e-mail me with questions.

Stunning.

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

Hal,

If Memory serves, I recognize one on the Lanes, I mean, names.

Greg

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Posted By: Dylan

anyone want to summerize the articles?

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Posted By: leon

A couple points. I think JP Cohen is one of the owners of Memory Lane, if it's the same person. I got a call a few minutes ago from another board member about this article and he asked if he should post it. I told him I didn't think so though I would allow it. Honestly, for the most part, I would prefer to leave personal issues out of the board. If this was hobby related it would be different. I won't censor, delete or ban for it but really....do all of us want our personal lives brought up on the board? I have said publicly that I was convicted of drug charges in 1986. I went to prison for 5 1/2 months on a 3 yr sentence. I got what I deserved and paid the price. I think I do a lot of good stuff and know I made huge mistakes before. It's what people do after those mistakes that make the person, imho. I would prefer to leave our personal lives off of the board....thanks much...

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I can hardly think of anything more material than finding out that an auctioneer had a past life as a swindler.

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Posted By: Peter Spaeth

With due respect, IF this is the same J.P. Cohen affiliated with Memory Lane, I would think a guilty plea by a person now running a major auction house to charges of telemarketing fraud (including fraudulently collecting moneys from people under pretenses that they were charitable contributions for sick kids) might be relevant to people's decisions whether or not to do business with said auction house. Just my opinion, confined to the relevance of the post and not expressing any views on the underlying facts.

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Posted By: Dave

He is also a regular board member here....I would imagine you'll hear exactly how he feels.

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

Assuming this is the same J.P. Cohen...

then I would certainly feel as if I had been "shilled" if I had ever won anything in their auctions.

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Posted By: paulstratton

It makes me wonder what else this guy might do to make a few extra $.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Leon- what you did 20 years ago is long in the past and has nothing to do with who you are today. If the person cited is the part owner of Memory Lane, then that is in the present and is worth making known.

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Posted By: leon

Like I said...it's only my opinion.....I have been lone person out many times.... It's "our" forum so, so be it.....

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Posted By: Jim Crandell

Dave,

Is he really?

Under another name?

He certainly did not post when I asked him to post on the practices of his company.

If I was advising him, I would tell him to be honest. Alternative is not good.

Jim

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Posted By: Bob

Leon- I acknowledge your point but see a world of difference between your situation and JP's. Your actions harmed only yourself and constituted, in my eyes at least, a victimless crime, I don't have much sympathy for anyone who preys on others, if this is indeed the same J.P. Cohen. I think I am a very non-judgmental person, at least I hope I am, and try to find something good in everyone in life but it is harder for me to be compassionate about something Enronish than about a person who makes a bad decision which results in a victimless crime.
tbob

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Posted By: Dave

I maybe wrong....I could have sworn I've seen him posting here in the past...I was actually just trying to run back through old threads a few minutes ago....maybe somebody can either confirm or rule out that...

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

Jim,

I think that Dave is mistaken. It would be unlike JP to post on here or any other message board even on an infrequent basis. There are very few dealers who are active participants on this board. Kind of like being a rat in a snake cage.

Greg

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Posted By: Jim Crandell

He is certainly not a regular here and I never recall reading a post buy him in the time I have been on Net 54.

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Posted By: leon

So be it...and I do see ya'lls points. My issue (20 yrs ago) and his are 2 very different ones. There is a JP that posts on the board but it's not Cohen. Stealing is dispicable and if from a charity it's that much worse...so I am with ya'll on that. Even us "druggies" have a code of ethics....

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Posted By: Bobby Binder

So Leon what was your drug of choice? Was it for personal use or did you distribute. Just wondering if that is how you financed your card addictions or just thinking about how many more cards you might of had instead:-)

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Posted By: Dave

Either way...looks like we are off the topic of just good old cards for awhile again....ha ha

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Posted By: Eric Everett

What I found interesting was the fact Mr. Gold hired his daughter's boyfriend, JP, at the age of 15 and he was soon his best employee. Meaning he was a great con at 15. I don't know about anyone here but if I was offered 5 figures at the age of 15 and had upside down priorities (which many 15 year olds do) I might just have done the same thing. Imagine the money and possessions and feeling of social superiority snowballing from that age (15!!). Now fast forward 10 years, and this guy now wants to use some obvious gifts legally to build his own business. Enter Memory Lane. He's done his time, hopefully learned a lot, and wants to move on with his life.

All of the above is much speculation and conjecture, and I understand the risk people might be taking in putting their trust in such an individual. I don't have $10k items being sent to him so this is probably none of my business. Just wanted to point out the age thingie.

-Eric Everett

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Posted By: Cobby33

.

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Posted By: Jim Crandell

Eric,

He was 15 20 yrs ago, right?

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Posted By: Eric Everett

I stand corrected, 20 years not 10. Makes a bit of a difference in my little story doesn't it?
<recedes back into lurk mode> lol

-Eric Everett

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Posted By: E, Daniel

edited for being posted in wrong thread

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

I guess the obvious things someone could infer from all of this are:

1) Shill bidding

2) Card doctoring


Neither are very good for us.

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Posted By: Peter Spaeth

I think we should reserve judgment until we have heard (if we are going to hear) both sides of the story. I think the post is fair game for the reasons I previously stated in response to Leon, but at the same time it is too early to infer anything. Hal is right that those things certainly could be of potential concern, but let's not convict anyone yet of new charges.

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

Well, if it's the same guy, what is the other side to the story? That he is innocent of all the allegations in the article? That he does not commit fraud in his present business? What else is he supposed to say other than, "that was me a long time ago, it's not me today."

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Posted By: Charlie Barokas

Greg Schwartz is now my hero!

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Posted By: barrysloate

If you had made a lot of illegal money and needed to launder it, wouldn't rare baseball cards be a good place to put it? Seems like a possible connection here (I know I have no evidence, I am just speculating).

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

Charlie,

You are someone who works very closely with JP Cohen and Memory Lane, so how do you feel about this?

Greg

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Posted By: Charlie Barokas

Greg,

I am shocked. My relationship with Memorylane Inc has been that we share a very good customer and consignor. Needless to stay, I think we are all taken back right now.

I do applaud you for this information. I can assure. That nobody from Manontherock Inc has ever played pai gow poker!

Charlie

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Posted By: James Feagin

So is this JP Cohen around 34-35 years of age?

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Posted By: Joann

If it's the same person, then the background is relevant to this forum given that Memory Lane is currently an active auctioneer and many forum readers do business there.

If it's the same person. If not, what a terrbile disservice to the Memory Lane JP Cohen. This should have been confirmed or at least investigated before posting - short of that it's a little irresponsible.

Just my opinion, but Lord knows I now hope that no one named Joann Kline ever gets in trouble anywhere or my name here could be Mud - no matter whether it's actually me or what I try to do to salvage my reputation. Such as it exists.

Joann

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Posted By: Rhys

IF this is the same guy, we are not just talking about stuff that happened 20 years ago. The article says he was indicted on golf club telemarketing fraud AFTER 2001 which would make this fraud ongoing up until less than 5 years ago when he went to prison. I dont know him and am not making any comments about him personally, but IF it is him, this is really bad stuff.

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Posted By: David Smith

What is the old saying about either a Leopard and it's spots or a Tiger and it's stripes???


David

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Memory lane is located in Tustin, CA and the telemarketing scam took place in Santa Ana, CA. Anyone know how close those cities are to each other?

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

About ONE MILE.

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Posted By: Harry Wallace (HW)

Are we sure that this is the same person. Has anyone called Memory Lane?

It just seems weird that this would not come out until now. Those articles were written many years ago.

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Posted By: David Smith

Henry,

That might be true but many years ago cards were not selling for as much as they are now and auction company ethics weren't in the spotlight.


David

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

Two guys named "JP Cohen" within a mile of each other.

Seems possible... but probably the same guy.

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Posted By: JimCrandell

If I'm not mistaken one of the articles referred to Adam Cohen--JP's brother.

JP of Memory Lane has a brother named Adam.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Then it's him. Too many coincidences.

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Posted By: Charlie Barokas

In November 1998, the FTC filed a complaint against the above-named defendants, J.P. Cohen (a defendant not part of the settlement package), and the corporate entities through which they did business, U.S. Marketing and North American Charitable Services, Inc. The FTC alleged that in telephone scripts, "thank you" letters, and brochures sent to donors, the defendants and their subcontractors misrepresented that consumers' donations would benefit local purposes - such as holiday parties for sick children in local hospitals - and misrepresented that consumers' donations would support particular programs - such as buying wheelchairs for veterans. According to the FTC, most donations did not support a charitable purpose but instead funded the nationwide telemarketing operation and lined the defendants' pockets. In some instances, the defendants never paid the nonprofits, but simply kept all the money raised in their names.

edited to add: sick kids

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Posted By: barrysloate

Despicable!!

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Posted By: leon

I can barely imagine anything worse except some physical abuses.

edited because I changed my mind. I would do as CMOKING and evaluate their auctions as I go...

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Posted By: Ryan Christoff

We should probably suspend judgement until we know for sure this is the same JP Cohen, in spite of how obvious it appears that it is.

Having said that, it certainly sounds like the JP Cohen I know.

This is the one who never posted on the board until he made a post saying he needed me to contact him. He felt he was somehow trying to "out" me after he had not received auction items about 30 seconds after he paid for them. Of course, he failed to mention that he took over a month to pay for them and was bidding on behalf of a bidder who I had banned from my auctions.

Think about the "code of ethics" involved when someone who runs an auction house is willing to bid in another auction for a banned bidder.

This becomes more interesting due to how this story ended:

Because of the dollar amount of his auction wins (nearly six figures) and the importance of the cards, I was not comfortable shipping the cards. I told him I'd prefer to hand-deliver them, if possible. He said he had a friend here in Colorado that would be set up at a show in two weeks and I could give the stuff to his friend so he could pick it up at that show. Well, we came to this agreement after two weeks had already passed since the end of the auction. Two weeks after that I received a personal check from JP Cohen. ONE DAY later he asked me to give the auction items to his friend who was leaving for the show the next day. I said there was no possible way I would ever consider doing this, especially considering who he was bidding on behalf of.

I said I'd still be happy to personally deliver the items to his friend the following week or whenever his check cleared. He started threatening me with lawyers, etc. so I suggested an activity he could go do with his lawyer and told him he'd just have to wait until the National, which was about 6 weeks away at that point, to get his stuff. If he didn't like that he could come pick it up himself.

From what I remember he even called Leon to complain about me. Anyway, he finally agreed to allow me to deliver his items to his friend in Colorado, which I did the following day.

Any guess who his friend in the "Mile High" city was?

-Ryan

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Posted By: paulstratton

Ugh...from bad to worse.

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Posted By: Peter_Spaeth

Guilt by association is not fair. I don't think it's fair to drag the friend into this.