Former OC Brewing manager to pay half-million for fraud

Joshua Shores, the former manager of Ocean City Brewing Company, has been ordered by the Middle District Court of Pennsylvania to pay $500,000 in restitution for his role in a multi-million-dollar counterfeit sports memorabilia scheme.

Shores, 41, was charged with wire fraud in January for operating more than a half a dozen internet businesses between 2008 and 2013 that sold fake sport jerseys. According to charging documents, the jerseys were purchased in bulk from China and had forged autographs and phony authenticity certificates.

He had owned and operated a number of internet businesses that operated from York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, according to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith. Buyers also purchased the fraudulent memorabilia from Shores’ Internet business through PayPal and Amazon.com, resulting in sales of approximately $2.5 million.

In March, Shores entered an agreement in which he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In return, he forfeited a residential property on Chicago Avenue in Ocean City, various computers, $140,563 in cash and additional amounts in lieu of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a sports utility vehicle.

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