Sports Card Dealers
Sports card dealer suffers big loss after stolen cards case resolved
An Ohio man who was charged with the theft of nearly $100,000 of sports cards at the 2022 National Sports Collectors Convention has pled to a lesser charge and wound up paying less than $10,000 in restitution.
Russell Porter of Willoughby, Ohio was originally charged with second-degree theft by unlawful taking and second-degree theft by deception for allegedly walking away with 29 vintage cards owned by Rick Giddings of Gizmo’s Sportscards. The cards were valued at $98,700.
But after more than a year of investigation and negotiation, Porter was allowed to plead to a lesser charge by the Atlantic City Prosecutors office, according to sources familiar with the case. He was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution.
Giddings said he received a check for $9,942 after administration fees.
“I would suggest that all dealers keep their eyes open and trust no one or you will end up paying in the end,” Giddings said. “Our law enforcement’s hands are tied by judges who want to give very low sentences for theft. People at all shows should keep their eyes open.”
The theft occurred on the final day of the 2022 National at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Porter was accused of walking away from the Gizmos booth with 29 vintage baseball cards, including 1950s cards of Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente and Sandy Koufax, all valued between $10,000-$20,000.
The incident was investigated by the Atlantic City Police Department, which referred the case to the Atlantic County Prosecutor.
The National was held in Atlantic City for the fourth time in 2022, but dealers voted last year not to return to New Jersey in the next few years with many dealers vowing not to participate in future card shows there. The National will be held in Cleveland July 24-28 this year before returning to Chicago in 2025 and 2026.
