Attorney General's News Release

March 1, 2001

Nixon, Dankelson charge Jasper County man with selling forged Shaq jersey over the Internet

Jefferson City, Mo. — Attorney General Jay Nixon and Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney Dean Dankelson have jointly filed a criminal charge against a Jasper County man for allegedly selling a forged Shaquille O'Neal autographed jersey on the popular auction Web site, eBay.

David Bruce Shryock (DOB 5/7/62) of Carl Junction was charged with one felony violation of unlawful merchandising practices for allegedly misrepresenting the jersey he was selling was autographed by basketball star Shaquille O'Neal.

According to the probable cause statement filed with the criminal complaint, Shryock purchased two Shaquille O'Neal jerseys from a Joplin store; the jerseys had been specifically marked on the size tag by a store employee. Two hours later, a detective from the Jasper County Sheriff's Department accessed a specific seller on eBay who was selling an autographed Shaquille O'Neal jersey. The detective was successful in the bidding on the jersey and upon receiving it noticed that the "4" in the "48" of the size tag was marked.

An investigator for the Missouri Attorney General's Office then met with O'Neal and obtained hand-writing samples from the basketball star.

Shryock is scheduled to be arraigned March 7 in Jasper County Associate Circuit Court in Joplin.

Unlawful merchandising practices is a class D felony under Missouri law, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The charge against Shryock is merely an accusation; as in all criminal cases, the defendant is presumed innocent until or unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818