Mail fraud guilty plea in Rosemont arrest

An Osseo, Minn., man arrested last August in Rosemont pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Rockford to charges of mail fraud, according to a news release from the U.S. attorneys office.

Steven Jensen, 40, CEO of Vintage Sports Authentics LLC, admitted he schemed to market and sell fraudulent sports memorabilia represented as “game used,” or worn in an actual game, the release said.

According to a written plea agreement, from July 2007 through July 2011, Jensen advertised game-used jerseys for sale.

Jensen was arrested while he was attending a sports collectors’ convention, on criminal charges that were initially filed in federal court in Manhattan. The case was transferred earlier this month to the U.S. District Court in Rockford for Jensen’s guilty plea and sentencing. The U.S. attorneys office for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in New York handled the case initially.

Jensen’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 29. Mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as well as restitution to the victims.