Inside the fraud scandal that's rocked the $15 billion trading card industry
Former bank robber Anthony Curcio is facing federal fraud charges for allegedly running a scheme to manipulate the trading card market. Prosecutors claim he doctored rare cards and faked identities, while his defense argues the case is a retaliatory move by the industry-dominant grading company, PSA.
Why it matters
The case exposes vulnerabilities and potential corruption within the rapidly growing $15 billion collectibles market, which relies heavily on third-party authentication.
Anthony Curcio holds a 1988 Fleer Michael Jordan card graded a Gem Mint 10, PSA's highest rating. Meron Menghistab for BI Seventeen years after becoming the most legendary bank robber of the internet age, Anthony Curcio was again inside a federal courtroom facing prison. It was January 17, 2026. Dressed in a casual blue suit and loose tie, the 45-year-old still possessed the handsome bad-boy charm that long had Hollywood producers after him. Once the high school football hero of tiny Monroe, Washington, a college injury left him with a Vicodin addiction he couldn't shake. Then, when the housing crash hit, the desperate father of two made an outlandish play: an armored-truck heist of $400,000 in cash and a getaway down the Skykomish River on an inner tube.
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