A 40-year-old Concord man has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a wire fraud scheme involving counterfeit sports memorabilia that defrauded victims of more than $1 million.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Daniel Damato admitted that between 2022 and 2024 he falsely represented fake sports memorabilia as authentic, including items he claimed had been used or worn by baseball legend Willie Mays.
Prosecutors said Damato sold a baseball bat for $100,000 that he claimed was used by Mays during the 1954 World Series. In reality, the bat was a factory-error model that was shorter than the bats Mays actually used. Damato also admitted selling a jersey for $50,000 that he falsely claimed had been worn by Mays in 1972.
The court also found that Damato defrauded a third victim out of more than $900,000 by promising to deliver valuable sports memorabilia that was never provided.
Federal prosecutors said Damato further attempted to obstruct the investigation after the FBI searched his Concord home by contacting at least one potential witness.
In addition to the 21-month prison sentence, a federal judge ordered Damato to serve three years of supervised release and pay $1,068,940 in restitution to the victims. He was taken into custody and began serving his sentence immediately.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.
Someone fronted $900K to this fraudster? As PT Barnum once said…