Mets Clubhouse Manager Stashed Memorabilia, Auction Houses on Notice

In an ongoing investigation of a former New York Mets clubhouse manager accused of illegal gambling and stealing equipment, the latest developments include a hoard of stashed memorabilia in a storage facility and auction houses being asked what items they have seen come through their doors.

Investigations are continuing regarding former New York Mets clubhouse manager Charlie Samuels. Samuels, who is accused of illegal gambling and stealig equipment from the clubhouse, was fired from the team in November 2010.

According to the New York Daily News, the investigation has now turned up a treasure trove of memorabilia, including signed jerseys that date back to the 1986 World Series championship team.

As Daily News has reported, NYPD and MLB investigators re-interviewed current and former Mets players and employees at the team's Port St. Lucie training facility last week. Samuels was employed by the Met for 27 years before being fired by the Mets after the team learned he was being investigated by the NYPD's Organized Crime and Control Bureau for providing inside information to gamblers, taking money from Mets bank accounts to cover gambling losses and for stealing memorabilia from the clubhouse.

Of couse, Major League Baseball is also concerned if any of its players were also involved in the illegal gambling.

Auction houses, though not named in the article, have been given supoenas to provide information on any dealings with Samuels or party(s) related to Samuels regarding the stolen Mets memorabilia. The article states that Samuels didn't deal directly with auction houses, but instead sold the memorabilia through collectors and dealers.

The recovered jerseys will be used in the investigation and then returned to the team.