MURRAY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Looking for a baseball autographed by the Babe himself? Or how about an Olympic “Dream Team” jersey signed by Michael Jordan? Perhaps you would prefer a football helmet signed by the Indianapolis Colts team that won the Super Bowl in 2007. And then there are the baseball bats signed by Pete Rose, Cal Ripkin Jr. and others. All that and more will be auctioned off by the Utah Attorney General’s office on Thursday, July 9.
The small treasure – 29 items in all – was surrendered to the state by 41 year old Darin Kracl of South Jordan. Kracl was convicted of scamming investors out of 6.7-million dollars. Along with 90 days in jail and the threat of more, the judge in the case ordered Kracl to pay restitution to his investors. All the money earned in the auction will go to the people who were defrauded by Kracl.
There will be no auctioneer at this auction; instead it will be by sealed bid only. Potential buyers will review the items, then place their bids in envelopes to be opened only after the bidding has closed. The high bidder will be notified later that night. “This could be a win-win,” said Paul Murphy of the AG’s office. “Someone could own a piece of sports history and at the same time bring justice to victims.
The AG hopes to raise $100,000 from the auction. That is a mere fraction of what was stolen from investors, but at least it's a start.
For pictures and descriptions and all of the items up for auction as well as the time and location of the auction, go to:
http://www.attorneygeneral.utah.gov/silent_auction.html
