• Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on Ebay
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • 50 Hottest Baseball Hobby Boxes
      • Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs
      • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Most Watched Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Nolan Ryan Cards
      • T206 Cards
      • Goudey Cards
      • 1952 Topps Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Top Prizm Basketball Auctions
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • National Treasures Cards (all sports)
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
      • Most Watched 2020 NFL Rookie Card Auctions
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched Rookie Cards
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • Vintage Sports Memorabilia

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, we may receive a commission.  It helps keep us afloat!

  • Sports Memorabilia News
    • Barnebys Sports Auction Highlights
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
    • Hobby Shops Selling, Breaking Online During COVID-19
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Around the Hobby / Ex-Postal Worker Sentenced In Theft Of High-End Cards
Mile High Card Co.

Ex-Postal Worker Sentenced In Theft Of High-End Cards

June 22, 2016 By Bob D'Angelo

A Massachusetts dealer-collector finally will be getting his exquisite — and expensive — basketball cards back. And the former postal clerk who stole and tried to sell that dealer’s 23 high end cards through the internet — including a 2003-04 LeBron James Upper Deck Exquisite rookie patch card worth at least $25,000 — was sentencLEBRONSTOLENCARDed Tuesday to three years of probation by a federal judge in Boston.

Earlier this year, Venecia “Melissa” McLaren, 30, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to theft of mail by a postal service employee. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Mark L. Wolf ordered the probation and also said McLaren must pay a $3,000 fine and $10,964 in restitution. McLaren also must serve the first four months of her sentence confined to her home and must use an electronic monitoring bracelet for the first two months.

McLaren now lives in New York and works as a clerk in a warehouse.

The Massachusetts dealer, a 37-year-old man named Eric —he asked that his last name be kept anonymous — operates buynicecards.com, a website that focuses on buying, selling, trading and consigning high-end sports cards. He is hoping to regain the cards that were stolen — they were held by police as evidence since McLaren was arrested and are worth at least $68,668 — very soon.

“I’ll be relieved when I have them in hand,” Eric said Wednesday afternoon. “I’m happy it’s over.”

The 23 cards that McLaren was convicted of stealing included a 2003-04 LeBron James Upper Deck Exquisite rookie patch card numbered 13/23 and graded an 8 by Beckett Grading Services; and a 2007-08 Kevin Durant Exquisite rookie patch card, which earned an 8.5 grade.durantstolencard

“(The James card) is probably worth more now,” Wolf said, noting that James and his Cleveland Cavaliers team had just won their first NBA championship earlier this week.

Two of McLaren’s siblings — her sister, Ophelia McLaren; and her brother, Lennica McLaren — have been sentenced to one year of probation for their part in the crime. According to court records, Ophelia and Lennica were arrested after they attempted to sell four of the stolen cards to an undercover agent in New York.

Seventeen of the cards have been found.

“All the major ones were recovered,” Eric said. “The others were worth about $10,000 combined.”

Venecia McLaren had been a postal worker in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts, and sorted mail and P.O. box deliveries, court records show. On Jan. 21, 2015, she was asked to drive to the Roxbury post office. She drove in her own car and loaded packages into her trunk and brought them back to Jamaica Plain, according to a court filing by her public defense attorney, Cara McNamara. Two packages were left in the trunk of McLaren’s car. Instead of returning the packages, McLaren attempted to sell the cards — worth thousands of dollars — for only hundreds, court records show.

Tuesday’s sentencing of Venecia McLaren ended a nightmare for Eric that began Jan. 20, 2015. In January 2015, Eric said he gave some cards to a friend in Boston to have them graded at an onsite event hosted by Beckett Grading Service. Eric’s friend mailed the cards back in two boxes to West Roxbury, Massachusetts, via insured Priority Mail Express.

When Eric picked up his mail, there was only one package. And 23 cards — including the James and Durant rookies — were missing. But Eric had photographs of each card and a detailed record of each graded card’s serial number.

On March 9, 2015, five of Eric’s cards surfaced on a non-eBay selling site called Offerup.com.

Eric and the Boston police department worked to find the cards, and authorities arrested Venecia McLaren when she tried to sell three of the cards to an undercover agent in Boston and offered to sell a fourth, according to court records.

“Every day I get up and go (to work), I know I messed up my life,” McLaren told the court before her sentencing, according to a story on MassLive.

Eric, who did not make a statement to the court, is now working to get his cards back.

“The guy from the postal inspector’s office texted me today, we’re going to set up an appointment,” Eric said. “I hope to get the cards back by the end of the week.”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Retrieving Cards Stolen By Postal Worker Was Long Process Babe Ruth M101-5 rookieNotes: Topps Baseball Sales, Ruth Card Hits $80K, CU Revenue, Butler Autograph Deal Pete Maravich Basketball Cards Still Resonate LeBron’s First Cards as Cav Returnee to Debut in Cleveland NBA Rookie Class Has Potential Star Power Anthony Davis autograph patch card Panini ImmaculateFear the Brow: Anthony Davis Rookie Cards Heat Up Durant Rookie Cards Heat Up as Scoring Champ Returns 1996-97 Upper Deck Black Diamond Michael JordanCheap Basketball Card Sets Past and Present Roxbury MAEx-Postal Worker Pleads Guilty in $68,000 Sports Card Theft Man’s Lifelong Autograph Collection Stolen in Burglary
Avatar

About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].

Filed Under: Around the Hobby, Popular Stories Tagged With: Kevin Durant, LeBron James rookie, LeBron James rookie card, LeBron James rookie cards, Lebron James rookies, postal theft, sports card theft, valuable sports cards

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click one and make a purchase, we receive a commission.  The revenue is what helps keep SC Daily afloat!

What\
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan Cards Under $5
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $100
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $75
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1985 Graded Football Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1980 Graded Basketball Cards Under $10
  • Pre-1990 Graded Hockey Cards $5 and Less
  • Complete Sets Under $10 with Free Shipping
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1

RSS Auction Report

  • Steve Novella Offers PSA Graded Football and Basketball Ending January 26, 2021
  • CertifiedLink: Bid on Rookie Cards: Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Jordan, Gretzky, Mahomes & More! Ends Feb. 8th
  • Kobe Bryant Custom-Built Car on Goldin Auctions Block


Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forum
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cards
  • Game Used Jerseys
  • 1952 Topps Baseball
  • Championship Rings For Sale
  • Vintage Basketball Cards
  • NBA Signed Items
  • Signed Sports Memorabilia
  • UFC Memorabilia
  • Autographed Baseballs
  • NASCAR Autographs
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cards
  • Player Pictures
  • Vintage Football Cards
  • Sports Card Boxes
  • Sports Collectors Store

Pages

  • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
  • 100 Hottest UFC Trading Cards
  • 100 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 20 Hottest Barry Sanders Football Cards
  • 2016 Cubs Replica Championship Rings Don’t Cost a Fortune
  • 2017 Topps Definitive Collection Box Breaks, Most Watched
  • 2019 Toronto Raptors NBA Championship Memorabilia Guide
  • 2019 US Women’s World Cup Apparel, Merchandise, Memorabilia Guide
  • 50 Hottest Baseball Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Kareem Hunt Rookie Cards
  • 50 Most Watched Kevin Durant Auctions on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • 8 Types of Kobe Bryant Collectibles to Remember Him By
  • Aaron Judge Game Used Memorabilia Inventory Growing
  • About Us/Contact/Advertise
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Affordable Vintage Sports Cards and Collectibles
  • Barnebys Sports Memorabilia Auctions
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Best Derek Jeter Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Best Display Cabinets for Sports Memorabilia
  • Best Joey Votto Rookie Cards
  • Best Pascal Siakam Rookie Cards
  • Chiefs Super Bowl Champs Memorabilia Hits the Market
  • Current Most Watched Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Dale Murphy Rookie Card Remains Popular, Affordable
  • Eagles Super Bowl Champions Memorabilia Guide
  • Fanatics Under Wraps 2017 Next Level Edition Autographed Baseballs
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Frank Gore Rookie Cards Get No Respect
  • Gardner Minshew Rookie Cards Heat Up as Fun-Loving Rookie Shows His Ability
  • Great Gifts for Cubs Fans
  • Guide to 2018-19 Clemson Tigers National Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to Houston Astros Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to LSU National Championship Merchandise, Memorabilia
  • Guide to Nationals World Series Champs Memorabilia, Merchandise
  • Guide to St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup Champions Merchandise, Memorabilia
  • Guide to Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Memorabilia
  • Hank Aaron Cards on eBay
  • Henrik Lundqvist Rookie Cards a Strong Long-Term Play
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Hottest 2019 Baseball Rookie Cards
  • Hottest 2019 NFL Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Chicago Bulls Memorabilia Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest Devin Booker Rookie Cards as Suns Star Piles Up Points
  • Hottest Kyle Lewis Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Lonzo Ball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini World Cup Stickers on eBay
  • Hottest Pokémon Card Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Hottest Topps Living Set Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest Topps NOW Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Xander Bogaerts Rookie Cards
  • LeBron James Lakers Jerseys Already Available
  • Links
  • Mickey Mantle Cards on eBay
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Popular Mark McGwire Rookie Card Auctions on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Kobe Bryant Basketball Card Auctions on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Topps Project 2020 Auctions on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Nick Bosa Rookie Cards Getting Collectors’ Attention
  • Patriots Super Bowl 51 Champions Merchandise
  • Ryne Sandberg Rookie Cards, Minor League Issues Still Collector Favorites
  • Selling Sports Cards on eBay for Cash
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Test
  • The 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Kris Bryant Auto Saga: A Timeline
  • Tony Gwynn Rookie Cards Recall “The Best Hitter Since Ted”
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Top Selling Patriots Super Bowl Championship Items
  • Upper Deck Authenticated Autographs Remain Popular, Accessible
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
  • Wade Boggs Rookie Cards Still a Collector Favorite
  • What’s Hot on eBay
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Where to Buy the Anthony Fauci Topps Baseball Card
  • Write About Your Sports Collection
  • Write for Sports Collectors Daily

Copyright © 2021 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Genesis Web Design by Wickam Group