Upstate trading card fraudster duped buyers and sellers of $33k, prosecutors say

Rochester, N.Y. — A Rochester-area man is charged with defrauding trading card buyers and sellers of more than $33,000, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

From October 2021 to February 2022, Kyle Bertrand, 34, faked payments and shipped empty boxes to people he met online, convincing them he was interested in buying or selling valuable football, basketball and baseball cards worth thousands of dollars, according to a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.

Bertrand, of Greece, is accused of running the scheme during a soaring resale market for collectible cards from sports teams and popular franchises like Pokemon.

In November 2021, Bertrand negotiated to buy cards for $20,000 with a seller from Florida, FBI agents said in a affidavit filed in federal court. After sending the money through an online banking app, the seller sent the cards to Bertrand at a Rochester address, federal agents said.

But the payment was quickly taken back after Bertrand disputed the payment with his credit card company, according to the court papers.

In another sale, Bertrand, this time as the seller, sent a man in Missouri an empty box after Bertrand agreed to send him sports cards for $600, federal agents said. In other cases, Bertrand sent buyers cards that were worth little to nothing after agreeing to send cards that were valued much higher, according to court documents.

In total, Bertrand defrauded $33,360 from buyers and sellers in Florida, Ohio, Missouri and Pennsylvania, prosecutors said.

Bertrand was charged with wire and mail fraud, prosecutors said. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him at 315-690-6950, at [email protected], or on Twitter at @byfernandoalba.