Bill Mastro Plea Deal Rejected by Judge

On April 9, U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman rejected a plea deal involving Bill Mastro, formerly of Mastro Auctions, setting up the case for a possible trial. The next hearing will take place May 14.

In the proposed plea deal, which surrounds a case involving a trimmed T206 Honus Wagner card, shill bidding and other misdeeds, Mastro would have faced a maximum 30 months in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The original plea hearing was to be held in February, but was postponed, setting up another hearing in March. The judge tossed out the plea agreement then, questioning the plea deal from prosecutors, asking the cause for the lenient sentence considering Mastro was not going to provide any testimony. A month later, the judge wasn’t convinced by the arguments by prosecutors, the latter explaining that this case is the first of its kind and determining monetary losses is difficult. Mastro was originally charged with one count of mail fraud in July 2012. Three other colleagues from Mastro Auctions have also been indicted and are awaiting hearings.

For complete background on this case, CLICK HERE