MICHAEL S. JAMES, Record Staff Writer
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
11-19-1992
3 NABBED IN THEFT OF SPORTS CARDS -- STING OPERATION IN MONTVALE
By MICHAEL S. JAMES, Record Staff Writer
Date: 11-19-1992, Thursday
Section: NEWS
Edition: 3 Star, Also in 2 Star B, 1 Star Late, 1 Star Early
MONTVALE -- The undercover agent inspected the cache he had arranged to buy on
Tuesday in the parking lot of the Grand Union Shopping Center on
Chestnut Ridge Road.
When the investigator was convinced that the goods were in the
suspects' car trunk, he took out a handkerchief to wipe his nose and the
trap was sprung.
The Montvale police moved in and arrested three suspects for
allegedly trying to sell thousands of stolen Eric Lindros hockey cards
worth up to tens of thousands of dollars, the police said.
The private investigator in charge of corporate security for the
card company, Dan Brandman of Danbee Investigations Corp. of Midland
Park, said there was almost no way that the suspects legally could have
acquired between 8,000 and 10,000 Lindros cards.
That's partly because Lindros is a highly touted rookie for the
Philadelphia Flyers whose card -- worth more than $6 each to collectors --
was only recently issued by Topps Co. of Brooklyn, and sold in packs
randomly mixed with other cards in the 441-card hockey set.
'You would have to buy $150,000 to $200,000 of these cards [in
their retail packaging] to accumulate a couple of thousand of this
particular card, let alone 10,000,' Brandman said.
The suspects were identified by Detective Sgt. J. J. Frederick, who
headed the Montvale police's operation, as brothers Michael J. Dubrosky,
30, of Naugatuck, Conn., and Peter C. Dubrosky, 22, of Waterbury, Conn.,
and an unidentified juvenile from Connecticut.
The three were charged with possession of stolen property and could
each face a fine of up to $100,000 and between five and 10 years in
prison, Frederick said. Bail was set at $20,000 apiece. The suspects
were scheduled to be arraigned in Municipal Court Wednesday night.
Brandman said he and Ralph Ennis, Danbee's director of operations,
had arranged to buy the cards from the suspects for $8,750. But he added
that the total value of the cards to collectors could be between $56,000
and $80,000.
The private investigator said a dealer who had been approached by
the suspects tipped off a Topps official. Brandman said he arranged to
meet the suspects in Montvale, and contacted the Montvale police about a
sting.
Investigators are still trying to determine how the suspects came
to possess the cards, Brandman said.
Brandman said the high value of sports cards has kept him busy on
behalf of Topps with theft and fraud cases throughout the country.
'We've been beefing up security [because of] the magnitude of
growth of the industry,' Brandman said. 'Now that it's become such big
business, [hobby-card theft] has become more and more prevalent.'
Keywords: MONTVALE. SPORT. COLLECTING. THEFT
Copyright 1992 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
11-19-1992
3 NABBED IN THEFT OF SPORTS CARDS -- STING OPERATION IN MONTVALE
By MICHAEL S. JAMES, Record Staff Writer
Date: 11-19-1992, Thursday
Section: NEWS
Edition: 3 Star, Also in 2 Star B, 1 Star Late, 1 Star Early
MONTVALE -- The undercover agent inspected the cache he had arranged to buy on
Tuesday in the parking lot of the Grand Union Shopping Center on
Chestnut Ridge Road.
When the investigator was convinced that the goods were in the
suspects' car trunk, he took out a handkerchief to wipe his nose and the
trap was sprung.
The Montvale police moved in and arrested three suspects for
allegedly trying to sell thousands of stolen Eric Lindros hockey cards
worth up to tens of thousands of dollars, the police said.
The private investigator in charge of corporate security for the
card company, Dan Brandman of Danbee Investigations Corp. of Midland
Park, said there was almost no way that the suspects legally could have
acquired between 8,000 and 10,000 Lindros cards.
That's partly because Lindros is a highly touted rookie for the
Philadelphia Flyers whose card -- worth more than $6 each to collectors --
was only recently issued by Topps Co. of Brooklyn, and sold in packs
randomly mixed with other cards in the 441-card hockey set.
'You would have to buy $150,000 to $200,000 of these cards [in
their retail packaging] to accumulate a couple of thousand of this
particular card, let alone 10,000,' Brandman said.
The suspects were identified by Detective Sgt. J. J. Frederick, who
headed the Montvale police's operation, as brothers Michael J. Dubrosky,
30, of Naugatuck, Conn., and Peter C. Dubrosky, 22, of Waterbury, Conn.,
and an unidentified juvenile from Connecticut.
The three were charged with possession of stolen property and could
each face a fine of up to $100,000 and between five and 10 years in
prison, Frederick said. Bail was set at $20,000 apiece. The suspects
were scheduled to be arraigned in Municipal Court Wednesday night.
Brandman said he and Ralph Ennis, Danbee's director of operations,
had arranged to buy the cards from the suspects for $8,750. But he added
that the total value of the cards to collectors could be between $56,000
and $80,000.
The private investigator said a dealer who had been approached by
the suspects tipped off a Topps official. Brandman said he arranged to
meet the suspects in Montvale, and contacted the Montvale police about a
sting.
Investigators are still trying to determine how the suspects came
to possess the cards, Brandman said.
Brandman said the high value of sports cards has kept him busy on
behalf of Topps with theft and fraud cases throughout the country.
'We've been beefing up security [because of] the magnitude of
growth of the industry,' Brandman said. 'Now that it's become such big
business, [hobby-card theft] has become more and more prevalent.'
Keywords: MONTVALE. SPORT. COLLECTING. THEFT
Copyright 1992 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.
