It will likely be the year 2020 when former Mastro Auctions executive Doug Allen walks out of whatever federal prison will be his home beginning on May 9.
Allen, sentenced in U.S. District Court last week to 57 months, could have more than six months shaved off his sentence for good behavior, but it’ll still be a long stay. It’s also one that could have been cut, perhaps in half, had he not obstructed an FBI investigation. As is, the penalty was one of the stiffest ever leveled against a figure in the sports memorabilia field. If Allen had a prior criminal record of any kind or not led a clean personal life, he likely could have faces 10-12 years away from his family.
Sports Collectors Daily has obtained the transcript from Allen’s sentencing in which Judge Ronald Guzman agreed with government lawyers who recommended the 57-month sentence, ignoring pleas from Allen’s attorneys to set him free after 18 months. Guzman said orchestrating illegal activities including card doctoring and shill bidding, were serious offenses.
“It appears that the defendant has reserved all of his good traits, his honesty, his decency, his caring for his personal life, and has in his business dealings acted almost entirely the opposite of that,” the judge stated. “He has schemed. He has deceived. He has lied. And he has done it not once or twice but repetitively over a long period of time. He has caused in that way as much hurt as he has done good in his personal life.”
Allen likely would have faced a similar sentence to the 20-month term handed to his former boss, Bill Mastro, but double-crossed agents who were investigating another individual. Tipping off the target of a federal probe “put agents at risk” according to prosecutors, an unpardonable sin that led to the incarceration that will last 4-5 years.
Allen addressed the court just prior to the reading of his sentence.
“I’m sorry that I caused considerable loss to my former customers at Mastro Auctions,” he stated. “I realize that — that we as a company were an industry leader and had responsibility to the public and to our customers, and we let them down. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t regret those actions and those decisions that were made in those years.
“I am sorry for the actions as it related to informing this other individual of the government’s investigation into his activities. I’m sorry for the damage that I caused to their investigation, and I truly regret interfering with the work of what are honest government employees, who were just basically doing their job. They gave me the opportunity to try to right some of my wrongs, and I failed miserably.”
You can read the entire transcript below.
Doug Allen Sentencing Court Transcript
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