Report: Samuels Had Hidden Valuable Stash of Mets Memorabilia

March 14, 2011 By Editor

The hole continues to deepen for a former major league clubhouse manager under scrutiny by the federal government. Sources have told the New York Daily News that Charlie Samuels, fired by the team last year, had stored a large quantity of valuable baseball memorabilia inside a storage locker near the team's spring training fields.

The News reported earlier this week that law enforcement agencies had arrived in Florida to conduct interviews and continue a long-running investigation into the activities of Samuels, who spent 27 years with the team. Now, it appears the investigation is heating up, with the discovery of "hundreds of thousands of dollars worth" of autographed jerseys and other memorabilia.

"It was mainly uniforms," one source close to the probe told The News.

Samuels is also under investigation for gambling activity and possibly providing inside information, according to news reports. While that element may be of most interest to Major League Baseball's security team, other agencies would have an interest in who may be buying what are likely considered to be stolen goods.

Sports memorabilia houses have been issued subpoenas in connection with the case, but sources told the News for an I-Team report Saturday that Samuels sold items primarily to collectors and other dealers.