Maestro pleads guilty, faces 2 1/2 years in prison

[Peter_Spaeth]

May he be the first of many.....

[calvindog]

If you were victimized by Bill Mastro (you were) and want the judge to know the truth about what he's done -- or perhaps you disagree with his lawyer's contention that you weren't defrauded in his auctions because everyone knew Mastro auctions were crooked -- please let the judge know via letter.

In addition, you can also describe any negative interactions you had with Bill over the years if you desire. As a victim of Matro Auctions, I would not want the judge to believe that Bill is the kindest, most generous, religious guy in the world without him seeing the other, more accurate side, of Mastro.

The judge's address is:

Judge Ronald A. Guzman
219 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, Illinois 60604

The case name is U.S. v. Mastro, 1:12-cr-00567.

Feel free to contact me at my office if you have any questions: 212 581-1001.

[drmondobueno]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

May he be the first of many.....

Obviously, as he intends to rat out his friends to minimize his sentence. Maybe it will spill over......

Keith Temple

[Iron Horse]

What did Mr. Olberman say about it?

[GoldenAge50s]

Originally Posted by Iron Horse

What did Mr. Olberman say about it?

As I recall, he mentioned the owner paying 3 million for it & now it's going from Mint to Authentic----Whooops!

[whitehse]

There is a short article in todays Chicago Tribune that states Mastro "scammed hundreds of customers of Mastro Auctions by fraudulently jacking up prices on memorabilia through shill bids and hiding information that might have lowered the value of the merchandise."

It seems to me that with this admission there should be a hell of a lot more outrage in the collecting community.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,7686120.story

[WhenItWasAHobby]

Originally Posted by whitehse

There is a short article in todays Chicago Tribune that states Mastro "scammed hundreds of customers of Mastro Auctions by fraudulently jacking up prices on memorabilia through shill bids and hiding information that might have lowered the value of the merchandise."

It seems to me that with this admission there should be a hell of a lot more outrage in the collecting community.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,7686120.story

Agreed and it's always amazed me how collectors seem to causally accept this kind of behavior as just one of the inherent prices one pays for being in the hobby.

But in fairness, I'm sure a big part of the problem is identifying exactly who was victimized and for how much and on what items. Another problem besides discovery of the fraud and statute of limitations revolves around what does Mastro have in assets for restitution. My guess is not enough to redress what has been done.

I wonder what the latest is on Doug Allen and the other defendant(s)?

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by whitehse

There is a short article in todays Chicago Tribune that states Mastro "scammed hundreds of customers of Mastro Auctions by fraudulently jacking up prices on memorabilia through shill bids and hiding information that might have lowered the value of the merchandise."

It seems to me that with this admission there should be a hell of a lot more outrage in the collecting community.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,7686120.story

Probably too many people are embarrassed by how strongly and for how long they publicly defended this criminal.

[Rich Klein]

the "trimmed" Wagner card is now worth more than it was before. After all, it is a subject of a book and is now even more infamous. Me, personally, if I had the money, I'd actually pay the owner a profit for this card just as a converation piece. And the owner is no dummy so if he is fine with the card as it is, so am I

[baez578]

http://youtu.be/B_3BtIUSmbk

Thought I'd share this. After the 12 minute mark, some good points are made that I agree with.
This particular card now has a deep history behind it that collectors will find interesting so no one will lose money on this card IMO

[base_ball]

When I first posted this years ago, I got in trouble with the chairman of the board. I now proudly (except for the lousy Photoshop job) post with impunity.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by drmondobueno

Obviously, as he intends to rat out his friends to minimize his sentence. Maybe it will spill over......

Keith Temple

Bill is a class act all the way till the end.