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New Jersey Man Posed as Patriots Player to Get Tom Brady Super Bowl Rings

A New Jersey man reportedly posed as a New England Patriots player to buy and sell Tom Brady Super Bowl rings.

According to The New York Post, the man, Scott V. Spina, admitted to posing as a Patriots player to illegally intercept and sell three Super Bowl rings. Each of the rings has Tom Brady’s last name engraved. Spina is potentially facing decades in prison when he makes a court appearance in May after pleading guilty to mail fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. 

Prosecutors presented charges against Spina in December 2021. He posed as a former Patriots player to purchase family and friend versions of the team’s Super Bowl LI ring. New England notably beat Atlanta 34-28 during the 2017 big game. Prosecutors also say that one of the rings was fraudulently given by Spina as a gift to Tom Brady’s relatives. It was later sold at an auction for more than $337,000. 

The media outlet also reports that Spina’s Tom Brady Super Bowl rings scheme began in 2017 when he purchased a Super Bowl LI ring from a former New England Patriots player. He gave that player a bad check. And then sold the ring for $63,000 to a well-known sports memorabilia broker in California. 

Spina then learned that former Patriots players may purchase slightly smaller Tom Brady Super Bowl rings for family and friends. He then proceeded to order three such rings. While making the call to the manufacturer, he pretended to be a former Patriots player. He also told the manufacturer that the rings were supposedly gifts for Brady’s family. 

New Jersey Man Makes a Deal With California Memorabilia Dealer to Purchase the Tom Brady Super Bowl Rings

The rings that Spina sought to sell were never authorized by Tom Brady. Spina has entered into an agreement with the Orange County memorability dealer who purchased Super Bowl rings to sell him the family rings for $81,500. This is nearly three times what Spina originally paid for them. 

The dealer eventually wired Spina $6,500 as a deposit. Spina shared a photo of the rings with the dealer in November 2017. However, the dealer noticed geolocation data on the rings. They showed New Jersey instead of Massachusetts, the Patriot’s home state. When the dealer asked to cancel the deal with Spina, the New Jersey made sold the three rings to an auction house for $100,000. One of them ended up selling in February 2018 for $337,219. 

Meanwhile, Spina’s attorney, Thomas Ambrosio, states that the New Jersey man accepts responsibility for his actions in the situation. Spina faces a mandatory minimum of 24 months in prison when he is sentenced on May 23rd. As part of the deal, he must pay restitution to his victims. This includes the former New England Patriots player.