Brett Lemieux said in a Facebook post hours before his death by suicide that he had used an autopen to forge autographs of big name athletes.
A woman in North Carolina tipped off Westfield police in February to a possible sports memorabilia scam being run in the town. That woman, who police didn't name, reported she had received fraudulent merchandise from Mister Mancave, LLC, a company run by a 45-year-old Westfield man named Brett Lemieux.
What no one could have known at the time was just how massive the counterfeit ring Lemieux was running would allegedly be. Among the big names Lemieux allegedly made his fortune on — which Lemieux claimed in a Facebook confession was $350 million – were Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Judge.
After the woman's tip, Westfield police began a 5-month investigation into Mister Mancave, a business allegedly selling counterfeit autographed sports memorabilia through its online store and other platforms.
As the case progressed, additional victims of Lemieux were found, each claiming to have purchased autographed memorabilia from Mister Mancave that was later determined to be counterfeit, Westfield police said in its latest public statement on the case.
On July 15, police executed a search warrant at the Mister Mancave business location in connection with the suspected fraudulent scheme. The following day, the investigation extended to a residence in the 300 block of Hoover Street.
"Upon arrival at the residence, officers discovered an individual deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," the statement says. "That individual has been identified as Brett Lemieux, 45, of Westfield, the founder of Mister Mancave LLC and the primary suspect in this case."
Police say they collected "a significant quantity of evidence during the searches, including documentation and items related to the alleged counterfeit operation.
Investigators say they are aware of a social media post made by Lemieux shortly before his death in which he gave specific details about how he pulled off what he said was a crime that kept him awake at night. "I always took it as a challenge. I spent sleepless nights planning what items to counterfeit next," he wrote.
Lemieux said he would illegally gain access to reputable sports memorabilia company's holograms, a security feature used to authenticate autographs and other collectible items with a serial number. Among the companies he replicated were TriStar Sports, Mounted Memories, Steiner Sports, Fanatics and Mill Creek Sports, Lemieux said in his post.
He would then replicate items, using an autopen, which copies signatures, to forge autographs and then sell signed items – jerseys, footballs, baseball bats, photographs – by the thousands, Lemieux wrote.
One of the biggest items Lemieux replicated were Brady jerseys, said those in the sports memorabilia industry.
"We had started seeing these really weird looking Tom Brady (jerseys) and we kept saying, 'These don't look right. There's something really off here,'" Steve Grad told IndyStar. Grad appears as an expert on the television show "Pawn Stars" and is with Beckett Authentication Services, a third-party company in Plano, Texas, that authenticates autographs.
"Well, it turns out, we were right," Grad said. "He did this with Aaron Judge. He did this with anybody you could really think of, Derek Jeter. These are all really big names."
In his Facebook post, Lemieux named other individuals who may have been involved in the counterfeit scheme, which police said they are aware of.
"This will require additional time to carefully review and investigate all evidence and leads," police said. "We are working with various authenticators for technical assistance and the authentication of all seized items."
In its statement, Westfield police said the department "acknowledges that any loss of life is a tragedy, and we extend our condolences to Mr. Lemieux’s family and friends during this difficult time."
Anyone with information related to the case should contact Detective Don Bennett of the Westfield Police Department at [email protected].
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady jerseys faked in Westfield memorabilia scam
Category: General Sports
