Collector Charged With Faking Billy Sims Heisman Trophy in $10 million Fraud

CHICAGO, IL — Federal authorities in Chicago have recently charged a sports memorabilia and photo archive collector with faking a Billy Sims Heisman Trophy in a $10 million fraud, The Chicago Sun-Times reports.

John Rogers, owner and president of Arkansas-based Sports Card Plus and Rogers Photo Archive LLC, allegedly put a Billy Sims nameplate on an honorary Heisman trophy given to announcer Al Helfer in 1960, the article states.

Helfer, one of the country's most well known baseball broadcasters, was the master of ceremonies for the Heisman banquet in NY for over two decades.

Rogers apparently bought the trophy from an auction house in 2009, according to the charging document.

Supposedly, Rogers created a letter dated March 9, 2009, that appears to be signed by Billy Sims, verifying that the trophy is authentic. Rogers then sent an unnamed investor an email in 2011 saying the trophy was worth between $175,000 and $225,000. Rogers used the fake Billy Sims Heisman Trophy as collateral on a $100,000 loan.

Rogers is being charged with wire fraud, the article says. He supposedly schemed $10 million out of banks, customers, and investors by lying about the assets his company held.

The information filed against Rogers doesn't name Helfer or Sims, but they're identified in a search warrant application that was filed in Chicago in 2014.

No court date has been set for Rogers at this time.

Photo courtesy of Allison Meier/Flickr