Three people have been charged with selling more than 1,100 pieces of counterfeit Jason Kelsey memorabilia, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
Robert Capone, 51, of Philadelphia; Lee Ann Branco, 43, of Bristol, Rhode Island; and Joseph Parente, 39, of Cranston, Rhode Island, are charged with forgery, theft and deceptive business practices among 60 felony counts and other charges related to the sale of nearly $200,000 in counterfeit Kelsey memorabilia.
Kelce, 37, played 13 seasons with the Eagles before retiring after the 2023 season and is now an NFL analyst for ESPN.
The items, which Kelsey allegedly signed on June 11 and 12 at the Valley Forge Casino Hotel, were offered for sale by Overtime Promotion, owned by Capone, and Diamond Legends, owned by Parenti, according to a statement from the district attorney's office. .
Branco, who works for Beckett Authentications Services, was allegedly “verified” and the 1,138 signed items included jerseys, footballs, helmets, hats and photos.
The counterfeit was reported to Montgomery County Police by TCH Humphreys LLC.
It was the group that was hired to perform official autograph signings for Kelce at a private event on June 11 and 12 at Valley Forge Casino.
Investigations into the alleged forgeries found that Capone, Parente and Branco conspired to use Branco's Pickett Authentication Services to create counterfeit autographed merchandise to then sell as authentic, according to the district attorney's office.
The trio attended the event at Valley Forge Casino and allegedly obtained some of the original memorabilia while keeping other memorabilia off-site to forge and sell later, according to the investigation.
The sale of the counterfeit items, without Kelce's consent, resulted in financial damage to the former Eages star of approximately $200,000.
The preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 5, 2025.
Kelce, a six-time All-Pro and Super Bowl champion, has become a media darling since his retirement.
He is currently part of ESPN's “Monday Night Countdown,” co-hosts the “New Heights” podcast with his brother and Chiefs Tight End Travis, and hosts “The Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce” on ESPN.
Jason and his wife Kylie are expecting their fourth daughter.
