Vintage Sports Authentics boss arrested at Rosemont convention

The head of a sports memorabilia company in Minnesota is charged with orchestrating a scheme to sell fraudulent sports merchandise — including jerseys said to be worn during games by baseball players like Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire and Albert Pujols.

Forty-year-old Steven Jensen of Osseo was arrested Thursday at a sports collectors’ convention in Rosemont. He is charged in federal court in New York with mail fraud and wire fraud.

Jensen is head of Minnesota-based Vintage Sports Authentics. Authorities say over the last four years, he and his company auctioned off jerseys purportedly worn by major league baseball players during games.

But the jerseys were not authentic. Authorities say Jensen knew that, and after customers returned them, he re-auctioned them to others.

Messages left with Vintage Sports were not returned.