The hobby’s card doctoring problem was on the front page of the USA Today sports section Tuesday afternoon.
The paper published a story outlining the ongoing issues over trimming and other trading card alterations that have ignited a federal investigation.
Writer A.J. Perez confirmed Sports Collectors Daily’s earlier report that FBI agents handed out subpoenas at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago.
USA Today becomes the fourth major mainstream news outlet to publish an enterprise story on the subject, joining the New York Times, Washington Post and Forbes.
While the story was essentially a primer on what’s transpired since the issue first popped up in a discussion on the Blowout Cards message board last spring, it did include information from a source who told Perez he believed shill bidding was also part of the probe.
The article also quoted Jeffrey Lichtman, the defense attorney who is now representing PWCC Marketplace in connection with the case.
“While there are questions of what constitutes an improper alteration, I can say with that PWCC is among those who have sold altered cards. PWCC has sold hundreds of thousands of cards and the problematic ones are in the hundreds — or less than 1%,” Lichtman told Perez.
An avid collector of vintage cards, Lichtman was highly critical of PWCC in the months after those altered cards were uncovered. He has since stated that he is hoping his participation as legal counsel will lead to the exposure of those who are performing the alterations and consigning those cards to auction.
Related Stories:
Card Doctors Could Face Variety of Legal Trouble If Law Pursues
PWCC: “Working with Law Enforcement, PSA” on Trimmed, Altered Cards
PSA “Conducting Own Investigation” Into Altered Cards
Collectors to Washington Post: We’ve Talked to FBI
Editor’s Blog: Online Tools, Dogged Collectors Put Focus on Card Makeovers
Editor’s Blog: List of Doctored Cards Grows; Today Show on MLB Authentication, More
Notes on the Card Doctoring Scandal
PWCC Owner Now Has Criminal Defense Attorney; Cooperating with FBI
Notes: NSCC Autograph Additions; Altered Cards; Rookie Premiere Story; Mayo Factory History
Altered Cards Update: Pre-War HOFers Impacted
