Man at Center of Huge 'Counterfeit Sports Memorabilia' Investigation Found Dead

A sports memorabilia dealer who allegedly confessed to a multimillion-dollar counterfeit scheme was found dead by police in Indiana this week.

The Westfield Police Department confirmed in a press release that officers "executed a search warrant" on Tuesday (July 15) in connection with a "counterfeit sports memorabilia scheme." The following day, the search was extended to include another location.

"Upon arrival, officers found the individual deceased with a self-inflicted gunshot wound," the city spokesperson said.

While no name was mentioned in the initial press release, several reports have since identified the individual as Brett LeMieux, described by CBS Sports coverage as "a sports collectibles dealer who ran Mister Mancave."

As pointed out by Robby Kalland, citing prior reporting by Sports Collectors Digest, LeMieux allegedly said in a post shared to an autographs-focused Facebook group that he had made over $350 million.

"It was an addiction," he allegedly wrote, in part. "How many items can I sell and give a front of a huge company. I did it for years. Purchased millions of dollars of legit items. Mixed it until [name withheld] found the hologram connect. Then I had the bank roll to buy even more.

"Basically every autograph sold in the last 25 years you should have it looked at. It’s fake and someone sold it to you other than me. I wish I had the exact dollar number of money taken in from this and I’ll go to my grave never knowing. I kept this secret from everyone."

When reached for comment by Complex on Friday (July 18), the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office shared a death investigation report confirming that LeMieux, 45, had died on July 16.

Meanwhile, a rep for the City of Westfield told Complex in an email on Friday that additional info was not available due to the ongoing status of the investigation.

Complex has also reached out to reps for the Westfield Police Department for comment. This story may be updated.