Not Guilty Verdict in Cobb Jersey Case

The New York Daily News reports a jury in Cobb County, Goergia declared Tony Cocchi, a sports memorabilia broker, not guilty last week of theft by deception.

Goodman Espy, an Atlanta area doctor with a valuable collection of rare sports memorabilia, had accused Cocchi of selling him a bogus Ty Cobb jersey after it failed an examination by Memorabilia Evaluation and Research Services (MEARS).

Espy had paid Cocchi $85,000 for the jersey in 1991 and was going to sell it last year, donating the proceeds to the Salvation Army's Hurricane Katrina fund. Espy was going to consign the jersey to Mastro Auctions but was unable to sell it because of the lack of positve authentication.

Prosecutors referred the case to a grand jury, which handed down the theft-by-deception indictment last year.

According to the Daily News:

Memorabilia insiders said the charges were disturbing because Cocchi, who was looking at up to 10 years in prison, wasn't one of the fly-by-night operators who peddle bogus memorabilia and counterfeit autographs anonymously through eBay.

Cocchi and his attorney maintain the jersey was worn by Cobb during a Major League Baseball game.

Espy says this fight is far from over: He's planning to file a civil suit against Cocchi. He's also having other memorabilia he bought from Cocchi reauthenticated and will ask prosecutors to file new charges if any of those pieces are not kosher.