U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Cincinnati recently seized 90 fake championship rings for professional and collegiate sports teams in Missouri and Kansas. Had the rings been genuine, they would have been worth $2.71 million, according to the agency.
The shipment seized on March 21 contained rings with trademarks of the NFL, NCAA and MLB. Third-party retailers sell the fake rings made of cheap materials and faux gems for top dollar, swindling sports fans, CBP said in a news release.
Agents intercepted the parcel after an X-ray yielded “inconclusive results,” prompting a physical examination, CBP said. Inside, officers discovered 40 2019 Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rings, 20 1969 Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rings, 15 1985 Kansas City Royals rings and 15 2022 Kansas Jayhawks championship rings.
“The specialist noticed the rings were poor quality, had inferior packaging, a low declared value, were inaccurately declared, and lacked security features,” the news release said.
LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, field operations director for the Chicago Field Office, said “the money profited from selling fake merchandise such as championship rings is used to damage the United States economy and fund criminal enterprises.”
The shipment came from Hong Kong and was intended to arrive at a residence in Atchison, Kansas. Officers believe it was “a person-to-person transaction,” which is common among counterfeiters, who then mail out smaller shipments.
A CBP spokesman said the agency shared their findings with Homeland Security Investigations. No arrests have been made.