Police: Ball wasn't Babe's

A Land 'O Lakes man was arrested this week, accused of selling a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth to a Largo pawn shop in November. Problem was the signature — and an accompanying certificate of authenticity — was bogus, authorities say.

The arrest is part of a larger investigation that spans the state, as investigators say Marc A. Szakaly, 40, may have sold dozens of phony autographed balls from here to Orlando and Daytona Beach, and beyond.

Largo police detectives arrested him at his home in Pasco County on Wednesday night, charging him with a single count of organized fraud. He was released Thursday after posting $50,000 bail, jail records show.

The probe began March 18, when Largo police went to the Pawn Mart on Seminole Boulevard after the shop found that the Bambino-autographed baseball they had purchased from Szakaly in November was counterfeit. The ball came with a forged letter of authenticity, police said.

The pawn shop had cut a check to Szakaly for $1,500 and had put the ball on display, employee Lisa Matassa said. The ball was offered for sale for $4,000.

A month later a customer came in and put down a deposit on the ball, and that's when it was sent to an authenticator in California who declared the ball and certificate to be fakes, Matassa said.

Largo police Lt. Mike Loux said the Pawn Mart was hooked by Szakaly's story of woe. "He kind of gave them a sob story, that he had two kids and he was trying to make ends meet," Loux said.

Szakaly offered to sell the ball for far less than market value and the pawn shop jumped on it, the lieutenant said. "They were thinking they were getting a good deal."

After the Pawn Mart complaint had been made, investigators checked pawn shop databases across the state and found that Szakaly had sold Babe Ruth baseballs all over the place, Loux said.

"They all were pawned by the same person," he said. Szakaly gave his real name each time. "It was odd that he used his true identity," given the quality of the forgeries of the signatures and certificates, Loux said.

The incident sparked a larger inquiry with 19 Florida law enforcement agencies in 15 counties and the Office of Statewide Prosecution.

Statewide Prosecutor Nick Cox said Friday that more charges are likely.

Baseballs with authentic signatures of the New York Yankee Hall of Famer typically can fetch as much as $10,000, according to some online pricing guides. In 2005, a mint-condition ball signed by Ruth was sold for $150,000.