A Concord sports memorabilia dealer is headed to federal prison after admitting he peddled fake Willie Mays items and then tried to meddle with the fallout. Yesterday, 40-year-old Daniel Damato was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, ordered to serve three years of supervised release, and told to pay roughly $1.07 million in restitution. The case closed out a federal probe into what prosecutors describe as a scheme built on falsified provenance and high-dollar online sales.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín handed down the 21-month term and ordered $1,068,940 in restitution. Damato was immediately remanded into custody to begin serving his sentence. Prosecutors said the scheme ran from 2022 through 2024 and revolved around doctored memorabilia that was marketed at steep, inflated prices.
What prosecutors say
Federal court filings outline what officials describe as a pattern of fake stories and padded listings. Prosecutors say Damato sold a bat he claimed was Willie Mays’s 1954 World Series bat for $100,000. He also touted a jersey as game-worn, although filings say it was actually a 1972 “batboy” jersey.
As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, another victim lost more than $900,000 after paying for multiple high-end items that never showed up. Filings further state that after an FBI search, Damato contacted at least one potential witness, a move prosecutors say crossed the line into obstruction.
Hoodline's earlier coverage
In December 2025, Hoodline reported on Damato’s guilty plea, detailing how federal authorities said he juiced up paperwork to pass off ordinary items as game-used pieces. See Hoodline for a breakdown of the original allegations.
Legal fallout
Damato pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud on December 8, 2025, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, although the sentence he received came in well below that ceiling. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine prosecuted the case, and the court tacked on a three-year supervised release term to follow the prison time.
The restitution order of $1,068,940 was set by the court to repay victims for their losses tied to the fraud, officials said, effectively putting a price tag on the fallout from the scheme.
How collectors can avoid fakes
For collectors chasing game-used gear, the case is a reminder that a good story is not the same thing as proof. Experts advise insisting on verifiable provenance and independent authentication before dropping six figures on supposedly historic items.
Trusted third-party services such as PSA/DNA and other credentialed examiners offer tagging and database checks that help confirm an item’s legitimacy. Major League Baseball also operates its own authentication program, which, as described in reporting by ESPN, logs many game-used items and marks them with holograms tied to a central database.
Collectors are urged to treat unusually convenient backstories, hard sell tactics, or too good to be true deals as red flags. Asking for a clear chain of custody and documentation before wiring large sums is still one of the most reliable ways to avoid getting taken.
