PROVIDENCE – A pair of Rhode Islanders were arrested recently in Montgomery County, Pa., and charged with multiple felonies related to forging and selling fake memorabilia purportedly signed by former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele’s office announced Thursday that LeeAnn Branco, 43, of Bristol, and Joseph Parenti, 39, of Cranston, were taken into custody along with Philadelphia resident Robert Capone, 51, and each charged with 60 felony counts of forgery, theft, deceptive business practices and related charges. Branco and Parenti are expected to turn themselves in to Montgomery County detectives and will be arraigned on charges at that time, Steele said.
Steele alleges that in June 2024, Montgomery County detectives and Upper Merion Township police were alerted to the presence of more than 1,100 memorabilia items purportedly signed by Kelce but were found to be forged. The items were supposedly signed by Kelce during his appearance at a private event at the Valley Forge Casino Hotel from June 11-12 in 2024.
Steele alleges that investigators found Capone, Parenti and Branco conspired to use Branco’s Beckett Authentication Services credentials to create counterfeit autographed sports memorabilia and then offered it for sale as authentically contracted-for products signed by Kelce. The forged items were offered for sale by Overtime Promotions, owned by Capone, and Diamond Legends, owned by Parenti, Steele alleges.
The district attorney alleges the certificate of authenticity issued by Branco induced the sale of unauthorized, inauthentic Kelce-autographed memorabilia without his consent. It caused Kelce, THC Humphreys LLC – the Royersford, Pa.–based sports memorabilia company that contracted with Kelce to conduct official memorabilia signings at the private event at the Valley Forge Casino Hotel, and others to sustain an approximate $200,000 loss.
Capone was arraigned Wednesday and released on $100,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing for Capone is set for Feb. 5, Steele said.
"Mr. Parenti through his company, Diamond Legends, has served as a trusted source for authentic sports memorabilia since 2008. He has always sought to operate with the highest standards of professionalism,” Diamond Legends spokesperson Bill Fischer said in an emailed statement sent to Providence Business News Thursday evening. “With regard to the two-day autograph signing events in Philadelphia that occurred last year, Diamond Legends was not the lead organizer of these signing events. Overtime Promotions based in Philadelphia orchestrated the events. Mr. Parenti entered into and had a signed contract to send memorabilia to these signing events with Overtime Promotions. Mr. Parenti’s firm paid Overtime Promotions in advance of the signings to fulfill the terms of his contractual obligations.”
In the statement, Fischer said Parenti did not forge any memorabilia nor did he direct anyone to forge memorabilia.
“When Mr. Parenti became aware that there may be issues with the authenticity of the memorabilia in question, he pulled them from the marketplace,” Fischer said in the emailed statement. “Mr. Parenti deeply regrets entering into a business arrangement with Overtime Promotions.”
Fischer said Parenti intends to fight the charges and clear his name and reputation.
(UPDATE: Adds paragraphs 7-10 with comment from Diamond Legends spokesperson Bill Fischer.)
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.