New Jersey businessman, 24, is busted for impersonating Tom Brady to sell bogus Super Bowl rings, including one that fetched $337k at auction
- Scott Spina, 24, of Roseland, NJ claimed to be the five-time MVP when he ordered the rings
- The fraudster admitted to scamming a unnamed New England Patriot player and agreed to pay restitution
- A buyer offered $81,000 for the rings, but grew suspicious and backed out
- Spina will enter his official plea on January 31
A New Jersey businessman has been arrested for impersonating five-time MVP quarterback Tom Brady to fob off doctored Super Bowl rings to collectors – one of which fetched $337,000 at auction, federal prosecutors said.
Scott V. Spina Jr, 24, of Roseland, agreed to plead guilty to five counts of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft on Monday after exploiting a loophole to get three NFL championship rings, which he ordered engraved with the word ‘Brady’ and sold, claiming they were once gifts for the footballer’s nephew.
Spina passed himself off as Tom Brady to purchase three rings from the 2017 Super Bowl LI, in which the New England Patriots bested the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.
Multiple rings, smaller than the official Super Bowl rings, can be ordered by players for them to give as gifts.
Scott Spina, 24, passed himself off as Tom Brady to order three Super Bowl LI rings, claiming they were gifts for his nephews.
These three rings were sold as official Tom Brady memorabilia for $100,000. Scott Spina passed himself off as the QB to buy the official rings
‘The rings were at no time authorized by Tom Brady,’ according to the federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, who brought the case. ‘Spina intended to obtain the three rings by fraud and to sell them at a substantial profit.’
An Orange County buyer agreed to buy the rings for $81,500, three times what Spina paid for them, according to the feds, but backed out when he got wind that the rings may be bogus.
Undeterred, Spina sold the rings in November 2017 soon after he got them from the ring company for $100,000. One of the rings was then resold by a memorabilia auction house in 2019 for $337,219.
Spina also scammed another, unnamed Patriots player in a separate ring deal. He agreed to pay back the player as part of his plea agreement.
Spina will enter his plea officially on January 31. His lawyer did not respond to a call seeking comment.
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