South Philly Man Sentenced for Forging Jason Kelce Signatures
A South Philadelphia individual who attempted to sell more than $200,000 worth of memorabilia after forging Jason Kelce signatures in 2024 will not have to serve a jail sentence. Action…
A South Philadelphia individual who attempted to sell more than $200,000 worth of memorabilia after forging Jason Kelce signatures in 2024 will not have to serve a jail sentence.
Action News 6abc reported that Robert Capone, 52, of the 2000 block of Reserve Drive, Philadelphia, was sentenced to five years of probation and 100 hours of community service. The sentencing followed Capone's plea in Montgomery County Court to theft by deception, deceptive business practices, conspiracy to commit theft by deception, and forgery. He operated under the business name Overtime Promotions.
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According to a report by The (Pottstown) Mercury, Capone conspired with a Philadelphia artist to forge Kelce's autograph on sports memorabilia. He advertised the fake autograph to clients as being a legitimate signature for cash.
Alfred P. “Freddy” Sicoli III, the artist who resides in the unit block of Dehaven Avenue in Penndel, Bucks County, received three years of probation and 50 hours of community service after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit theft by deception, conspiracy to commit deceptive business practices, forgery, and conspiracy to forge signatures.
Judge Risa Vetri Ferman ordered Capone to pay 80% and Sicoli to pay 20% of the restitution, with both defendants agreeing to compensate the individuals and businesses duped by the scheme.
“There was a substantial economic impact to Capone's customers in this case. In most cases, they lost the value of the merchandise, what they had paid for the merchandise. As we all know, when you're paying for an autographed signature, if it's not a true autograph, it's not valued at anything,” said Assistant District Attorney Gwendolyn Marie Kull in a statement shared with The Mercury.
According to court documents obtained by The Mercury, an investigation began in June 2024. At that time, detectives learned of fraud and theft by a sports memorabilia company in Royersford that had contracted with former Philadelphia Eagles player Kelce to hold official signings of memorabilia at a private event between June 11 and 12, 2024, at the Valley Forge Casino Hotel in Upper Merion.
Capone attended the event to receive authentic memorabilia. He kept other memorabilia off-site for forgeries and sale, detectives alleged. Following the June 11 signing, more than 1,100 forged memorabilia items began appearing, detectives said. When authorities obtained Capone's cellphone, they discovered a text chain between Capone and Sicoli, who operated a business called Killer Kreations.
“The communications show Freddy Sicoli being contracted to sign the fraudulent Jason Kelce signatures and inscriptions,” detectives alleged in an arrest affidavit.
