A Southern California man has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a high-stakes memorabilia scam that raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars—and included forged autographs of none other than Kobe Bryant and members of the Kardashian family.
According to a report from The Daily Mail, Anthony J. Tremayne, 58, who has since relocated to Mexico, admitted to one count of mail fraud after a years-long scheme where he sold fake memorabilia purportedly signed by A-list athletes, musicians, and Hollywood stars. From 2010 to 2019, Tremayne defrauded collectors of between $250,000 and $550,000, falsely advertising the items as genuine and even including bogus “Certificates of Authenticity” to back his claims.
But the game came crashing down in 2020, when Tremayne attempted to sell autographed Kardashian photographs. What he didn’t know? The buyer was an undercover FBI agent. That deal marked the beginning of the end for his decade-long con.
Tremayne is now facing up to 20 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 11.
The fake Kobe Bryant memorabilia hits especially hard. Since Bryant’s tragic passing in 2020, fans and collectors have held anything tied to the NBA legend in reverence. In fact, his personal effects have become some of the most sought-after items in sports history.
Just last year, Sotheby’s auctioned off Bryant’s original locker from the Staples Center for a jaw-dropping $2.9 million. Used by Kobe from the 2003-04 season through his final 2015-16 run, the locker had been tucked away in storage during a renovation in 2018, only to be salvaged by a sharp-eyed maintenance worker.
“Kobe Bryant’s locker at the Staples Center is more than just a piece of memorabilia; it’s a sacred relic of his unparalleled journey,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Modern Collectables, in a press release at the time.
Unfortunately, scammers like Tremayne have tried to capitalize on that reverence, tricking loyal fans and collectors into paying top dollar for counterfeit items. This case serves as a reminder that the demand for celebrity memorabilia continues to attract bad actors—and that even signed items with certificates aren’t always what they seem.
As we approach Tremayne’s sentencing, his story stands as a cautionary tale in the wild world of memorabilia collecting—where the line between fan devotion and fraud can be dangerously thin.