An attorney for Doug Allen, a Chicago sports memorabilia dealer facing a federal fraud charge, said her client tipped off North Little Rock sports photo archivist and trader John Rogers about a looming search of his business and residence by the FBI, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday.
Charged with fraud in 2012, Allen entered into the agreement with prosecutors in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, saying he would help authorities in their ongoing investigation, the Tribune reported.
That cooperation included wearing a hidden recording device in telling "Subject A" that the FBI had "asked logistical questions regarding Subject A's home."
The Tribune reported that Allen's lawyer, Valarie Hays, said that Subject A is John Rogers.
Rogers has not been charged in connection with the Jan. 28 search of his home and business.
Subject A asked Allen to swear that he would never tell the FBI that he had tipped him off about the raid.
Rogers' attorney, Blake Hendrix, said in an email Monday:
"We understand Doug Allen pled guilty in Federal Court in Chicago today, in part because Mr. Allen obstructed justice. Mr. Allen tried to ensnare John Rogers in Mr. Allen's own criminal conduct to try to get a lesser sentence.
"We immediately contacted the FBI and agreed to assist its agents in investigating Mr. Allen's obstruction of justice. Mr. Allen's plan backfired. Mr. Rogers is not implicated in Mr. Allen's obstruction of justice, and Mr. Rogers is glad to have assisted the authorities in exposing Mr. Allen's crime."
Two other men were charged with fraud in the Chicago investigation -- William Mastro, a sports memorabilia dealer, and Mark Theotikos.
Mastro pleaded guilty to one count of fraud in a scheme to rig auctions of sports memorabilia and drive up prices and awaits sentencing this fall. Theotikos last week entered a guilty plea.
Business on 08/12/2014