Indiana Sports Memorabilia Seller Admits $350M Counterfeit Scheme, Commits Suicide

Brett Lemieux, a sports memorabilia dealer and owner of Mister Mancave, was found dead in Indiana from a self-inflicted gunshot wound amid an ongoing investigation into a massive counterfeit sports memorabilia scheme. Authorities executed search warrants on multiple properties linked to Lemieux, who allegedly admitted in a now-deleted Facebook post to selling over $350 million worth of forged sports collectibles over 25 years, mixing fake items with legitimate ones. Experts and former FBI agents warn that if true, this could be the largest counterfeit scandal in the history of sports collectibles, potentially compromising the authenticity of countless autographed items and shaking the industry’s foundation of trust. Lemieux claimed to have sourced counterfeit security holograms directly from manufacturers, making the fakes harder to detect, and stated that neither his employees nor family knew of his illicit activities. Industry insiders expressed shock and concern about the impact on collectors and sellers, with some skeptical about the full scale but acknowledging the potential damage even partial truths could cause. The FBI is assisting local authorities in investigating Lemieux’s business practices as the investigation continues.