The owner of a Philadelphia marketing and booking firm pleaded guilty Tuesday to four charges related to the selling of forged Jason Kelce memorabilia valued at an estimated $200,000.
Overtime Promotions owner Robert Capone, 51, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) Court on Tuesday to conspiracy to commit theft by deception, theft by deception and deceptive business practices, all third-degree felonies, and forgery, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Restitution will be determined following a pre-sentencing investigation into victim impact.
Capone, along with LeeAnn Branco, 43, of Bristol, Rhode Island, and Joseph Parenti, 39, of Cranston, Rhode Island, were charged with 60 felony counts by the Montgomery County District Attorney in January.
Charges against Branco, an independent contractor for Beckett Authentication, and Parenti, owner of memorabilia store Diamond Legends, were withdrawn in June following new evidence that showed the two weren’t part of the forgery scheme.
Charges originally alleged Capone conspired with Branco and Parenti to forge more than 1,100 pieces of memorabilia with fake Kelce signatures.
The items were purportedly signed by Kelce, a former Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman and Super Bowl champion, at the Valley Forge Casino Hotel in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, on June 11-12, 2024. The forged items were later sold by Overtime Promotions and Diamond Legends.
Alfred P. Sicoli, 51, of Penndel, Pennsylvania, was charged in March in connection with the alleged scheme. According to court documents, detectives alleged Sicoli was contracted by Capone to sign the forged Kelce autographs as well as inscriptions.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.