Man Cashing in Fake Babe Ruth Baseballs at Pawn Shops

MARIETTA, Ga. - Pawn shops in Georgia and several other states are crying foul after a man has been cashing in on fake Babe Ruth signed baseballs. The folks at AAA Pawn in Marietta thought they had hit a homerun when they got their hands on one of the balls. It was only after the man left, that they realized it was a fake.

There's now a felony warrant out for Shane Allen Simpson. Police said he fooled a dozen pawn shops in six states into thinking a baseball with Babe Ruth's signature was the real thing. Police said he even has a certificate of authenticity.

"It does look real, the certificate is done very professionally, and appears like other certificates would with authentic baseballs that have been signed," said Officer Brittany Wallace with Marietta Police.

It turns out the same guy has been pulling the same con at pawn shops in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Detective Brian Gulsby with the Daphne, Alabama Police Department checked a database for pawn shops and has discovered Simpson pawned a dozen balls, all with Babe Ruth's signature. Det. Gulsby said Simpson has received various amounts of money for the balls, "as low as $700 to as much as $2,000 at a shop in Texas."

Marietta Police are now working with authorities in other states trying to find Simpson. The Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers posted Simpson's photo on their Facebook page along with a surveillance photo of him at a pawn shop In Mississippi. "We know who this gentleman is, we have his picture, now it's just a matter of finding him," said Officer Wallace.