Operation Bullpen

Operation Bullpen: The Inside Story of the Biggest Forgery Ring in American History is one of the most influential books that Kevin Nelson has written. A work of investigative journalism, it is the remarkable true story of the high-flying national forgery ring that forged the autographs of sports stars and celebrities and ripped off American consumers for more than $100 million, before being busted by a dramatic three-year FBI undercover investigation.

What makes Operation Bullpen so unique is that Nelson gained unprecedented access to the forgers and counterfeit dealers as well as the FBI agents who busted them. This enabled him to deliver an inside account of how a criminal counterfeit operation actually works. Nelson has since become an expert on forgery and counterfeit memorabilia. His articles for Sports Collectors Digest and blog for Autograph Magazine are widely read in the collecting and memorabilia industry. 

Now optioned by Hollywood and under development to be a movie, Operation Bullpen continues to win rave reviews from readers, collectors, and the media. The New York Daily News called it "a terrific account of how a pot-smoking master forger and his friends made $100 million selling fake autographs before they were busted by the FBI." The Oakland Tribune described it as "fascinating. Remarkable. It's either the sports book or the crime book of the year. Either way, it's a movie crying to be made." Yet another reviewer said it "reads like a John Grisham legal thriller, with the good guys and bad guys playing a cat-and mouse game of unprecedented scope in the world of big-money autographs."

Nelson has appeared on truTV, ESPN and national radio programs talking about the case. The National Baseball Hall of Fame in New York is planning a museum exhibit on forged memorabilia in part based on Operation Bullpen, scheduled for 2012 or 2013. Read his blog, more reviews, excerpts and view a gallery of forgeries at a special website devoted to the book, www.OperationBullpen.com.