KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 90 counterfeit Kansas City Chiefs, Royals and Kansas Jayhawks championship rings were seized this week by federal agents in Cincinnati.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency says the rings — if they had been sold as genuine — were valued at more than $2.7 million.
A CBP spokesperson said agents in Cincinnati intercepted a package on March 21 that had been shipped from Hong Kong and was bound for a residence in Atchison, Kansas.
An X-ray of the contents of the package “yielded inconclusive results,” leading agents to perform a physical inspection. When they opened the package, they discovered 40 2019 Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rings, 20 1969 Chiefs Super Bowl Rings, 15 1985 Kansas City Royals World Series rings and 15 2022 Kansas Jayhawks NCAA Championship rings.
An Import Specialist with the Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Center evaluated the rings and determined them to be low quality, using cheap materials and containing flaws. The specialist deemed them inauthentic and were seized for bearing counterfeit trademarks from the National Football League, NCAA and Major League Baseball.
“Purchasing counterfeit sports memorabilia defunds our sports organizations, and the money profited from selling fake merchandise such as championship rings, is used to damage the United States economy and fund criminal enterprises,” LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, CBP Director of Field Operations, Chicago Field Office, said Friday in a press release. “I am proud of the officers in Cincinnati, they work hard to protect our domestic businesses and stop illegal shipments.”
Consumers can protect themselves from fraudulent goods by reviewing the CBP’s website.
