Pair Plead Not Guilty in Forgery Case
The owner of a Canoga Park pawnshop and a former Secret Service agent pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that they forged former Presidents’ signatures on sports memorabilia, which was then sold to collectors, a prosecutor said.
Richard Schwartz of Moorpark and Randolph Espinosa of Ramona in San Diego County face up to 25 years in prison. They are accused of forging certificates of authenticity on official stationery supplied by Espinosa, who once guarded President Ronald Reagan, Assistant U.S. Atty. Marc Harris said.
Schwartz sold the memorabilia, which included bats, jackets and baseballs supposedly signed by Reagan and a baseball ostensibly signed by John and Jacqueline Kennedy, to collectors in Whittier and Laguna Nigel, who later sold some items to the home shopping network, Harris said.
Trial is set for Nov. 27 in federal court in Los Angeles.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
