Charlie Samuels, the former longtime clubhouse manager for the New York Mets, was sentenced this week for criminal possession of almost $2.3 million of on-field and game-used Mets memorabilia and collectibles. The merchandise included signed jerseys, bats and baseballs and belonged to the Mets organization. He also evaded City and State taxes.
Samuels, a 55-year-old resident of Averene began his career with the mets in 1976 and by 1983 had worked his way up to equipment manager. Subsequently, he became the clubhouse manager and traveling secretary. After 34 years with the organization he was terminated, in November 2010.
He pleaded guilty last February to second-degree criminal possession of stolen property and third- and fourth-degree criminal tax fraud.
His guilty plea included the promise to pay restitution of $20,843 to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance; $14,738 to the New York City Department of Finance; $24,955 to Sterling Mets, L.P., which does business as the New York Mets; and to pay $15,000 in forfeiture to the Queens County District Attorney’s Office.
Samuels is banned from Citi Field, the New York Mets minor league park in Brooklyn and their spring training facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
According to DA Brown’s office, Samuels knowingly had possession of hundreds of autographed as well as signed New York Mets jerseys, baseballs, bats, helmets and other equipment between Sept. 1, 2007 and Nov. 13, 2007. The property had been stolen from Sterling Mets, L.P. and was appraised at almost $3 million.
The stolen property was recovered from the basement of a friend’s home in Madison Connecticut in November of 2010.
In addition, Samuels pled guilty to underreporting the true amount of his income in 2009 on his New York City tax returns in an attempt to avoid tax liability for the year.
