LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Charges were filed Monday in Los Angeles federal court against a New Jersey man who allegedly posed as a former NFL player, allowing him to purchase so-called “family versions” of the New England Patriots’ 2016 Super Bowl championship ring.
Scott V. Spina, Jr., of Roseland, New Jersey, was charged Monday in connection with the scheme — which involved purporting the ring purchases were made for relatives of quarterback Tom Brady, one of which sold at auction for more than $337,000. The rings had the name “Brady” engraved on them, according to prosecutors.
Spina agreed to plead guilty Monday to one count of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, the scheme began in 2017 when Spina purchased a Super Bowl LI ring awarded to a Patriots player who then left the time. Spina allegedly tricked the former player by paying for the ring with at least one bad check, then sold the ring for $63,000 to a ring broker.
It was through this initial scheme that Spina allegedly learned information that allowed the former player to purchase Super Bowl rings for family and friends that were slightly smaller than the player rings.
“Spina then called the Ring Company, fraudulently identified himself as [the former player], and started ordering three family and friend Super Bowl LI rings with the name ‘Brady’ engraved on each one, which he falsely represented were gifts for the baby of quarterback Tom Brady,” according to court filings. “The rings were at no time authorized by Tom Brady. Defendant Spina intended to obtain the three rings by fraud and to sell them at a substantial profit.”
Spina agreed to sell the rings to an Orange County man who was told they were given as gifts from Tom Brady to his nephews. He agreed to pay $81,500 for the rings, nearly three times what Spina had paid for them.
When the O.C. buyer began to suspect Brady did not in fact have nephews, he backed out of the deal. On that same day, Spina received the rings and immediately sold them to an auction house for $100,000. That auction house then sold one of the rings for $337,219.
In his plea agreement, Spina admitted to defrauding the O.C. ring broker when he falsely claimed the rings “were ordered for Tom Brady directly from [the Ring Company] for select family members.” He also admitted that he defrauded the broker with regards to three wire transfers for a deposit on the rings. He also admitted to committing identity theft when posing as the former Patriots player to obtain the rings.
Spina will make his first appearance in federal court in L.A. in January. He faces a statutory maximum penalty of 92 years in federal prison, but his actual sentence is likely to be much lighter.
