A Concord man who sold knockoff sports memorabilia, including a baseball bat and jersey he claimed were used by Willie Mays, was sentenced to nearly two years in prison for fraud, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Daniel Damato, 40, sold a bat he claimed Mays used in the 1954 World Series for $100,000 in 2024. Damato later admitted the bat was a “factory error” bat, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.
The jersey, which he claimed was worn by Mays during a game in 1972, was also just a “1972 batboy jersey,” according to charging documents. He also scammed another person out of $900,000 after saying he’d deliver sports memorabilia to the buyer. He never did…