Sports Memorabilia Dealer Confesses $350M Counterfeit Scheme, Found Dead Indiana

Brett Lemieux, founder of the sports memorabilia website MisterManCave, died by suicide shortly after police executed a search warrant related to an alleged $350 million counterfeit scheme involving over four million fake sports memorabilia items. Lemieux confessed in a now-deleted Facebook post that he forged holograms and authentication stickers from major companies such as Fanatics and Panini, flooding the market with counterfeit goods, including 80,000 pieces released after Kobe Bryant's death in 2020. Industry experts noted Lemieux's actions had depressed the value of authentic memorabilia, with some expressing relief at not having been directly involved with him but concern that his fraudulent operation would cast a long shadow over the industry. Lemieux's counterfeit items were sold at significantly lower prices than authentic pieces, undermining official autograph deals and prompting companies like Fanatics to update their hologram security. The sports memorabilia community is grappling with the fallout from this large-scale fraud, which has exposed vulnerabilities in authentication processes and highlighted the challenges in policing counterfeit collectibles.