Police lay charges against man accused of forging Connor McDavid’s signature on jerseys

Jul 18, 2019 | 8:56 AM

Edmonton police have laid charges against a man who is accused of forging the signature of Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid on authentic team jerseys, then selling them to score big profits.

They say in April 2018, a 23-year-old man contacted several people on Facebook claiming he was employed by either the Edmonton Oilers Entertainment Group or Pro Am Sports, and was selling autographed McDavid jerseys.

Investigators believe he sold two of the items bearing bogus signatures to someone for $1,400, then defrauded another person of $23,000 through the sale of the same gear this past February.

Police say the Oilers organization and Pro Am Sports confirm that the autographs on the jerseys sold in April 2018 were not authentic.

Police have charged Chandra Vinesh Singh — also known as Vinesh Singh or Vinny — with fraud, forging documents and false pretence.

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They believe other people may have been caught by the same alleged scam and they are asking anyone who has contacted the accused and bought McDavid jerseys to come forward.

Police are also reminding people to use caution when buying merchandise from non-licensed vendors and individuals online.

“We thank the Edmonton Police Service for their diligence on this matter,” Oilers Entertainment Group senior vice-president Tim Shipton said in a statement.

“We are fortunate to have fans who support the team through the purchase of memorabilia, but this is a good reminder for our fans to always go to trusted sources.”

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press