Alexis Bellino’s Husband Jim Bellino involved in FBI Fake Sports Memorabilia Sting?
Alexis and Jim Bellino
Was Alexis Bellino’s husband Jim Bellino indicted for mail fraud in 2000 by the Feds involving a multimillion dollar faked sports memorabilia racket and the FBI’s Operation Bullpen sting? According to a highly reliable source, he was. If he was, then Bellino merely joins the list of Bravo TV’s Real Housewives cast members whose private past includes a brush, or in the case of Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Danielle Staub, a stint in the slammer.
Recently we received a tip that a Jim Carlos Bellino had been in indicted by the Feds in 2000 for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. [3:00-cr-03071-JM: USA vs Bellino]
James Carlos Bellino owned Forensic Document Services located at 1115 N. Tustin Ave, Orange, CA.. According to the tip, federal prosecutors deferred prosecution, “a short hand way of letting Bellino off with almost $30,000 restitution, went on probation for a year, and got out of the sports memorabilia business”. The person who supplied the tip wondered if this Jim Carlos Bellino was the husband of Alexis Bellino, the newest housewife on Real Housewives of Orange County. According to the tipster, who had access to the deferred prosecution agreement and, a bankruptcy document involving Rectivity, a pool table company Alexis’ husband had ties to, the signatures are the same.
According to our source, the Jim C. Bellino indicted for mail fraud is Alexis’ Jim Bellino.
The FBI sting is called Operation Bullpen carried out in the late 1990′s and subject of the book, Operation Bullpen: The Inside Story of the Biggest Forgery Scam in American History written by Kevin Nelson.
An excerpt:
Optioned by Hollywood and now under development to be a movie, it’s the amazing 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.
More on Operation Bullpen with a reference to Jim C. Bellino and Forensic Document Services.
Excerpts from SweetSpotNews.com:
FBI’s Operation Bullpen hooks network
SAN DIEGO – The FBI’s Operation Bullpen has infiltrated and dismantled a network of 20 forgers, authenticators, wholesalers, and retailers who are responsible for the creation and sales of up to $100 million of forged memorabilia, items that are both sports and nonsports-related. Twenty individuals, all from California, are cooperating with federal officials in pleabargaining agreements on a variety of fraud and tax charges.
And,
In addition, the FBI told Sweet Spot that the operations of the J. DiMaggio Company have been shut down. In addition a significant number of items that were known forgeries carried a certificate of authenticity attributed to Don Frangipani; and Robert Proudy and Jim Bellino of Forensic Document Services (FDS). Forged items were supported by fake or misleading authentication documents. However, no charges have been brought against the latter authenticators.
More info on Jim Bellino and that deferred prosecution agreement:
William Gore, head of the FBI office in San Diego, said that in addition to Frangipani, authenticators whose names were attached to bogus memorabilia seized in the Bullpen raids were SCAA, J. DiMaggio & Company and Forensic Document Services. To date, Wayne Bray of SCAA and James Bellino of FDS have agreed to cease doing business in sports and celebrity memorabilia, Gore said. Jim DiMaggio also is no longer authenticating memorabilia. Gore displayed a baseball forged with Mother Teresa’s name on it. The item was accompanied by a letter of authenticity from the J DiMaggio company. Of the four authenticators, only Bray has pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. A deferred prosecution agreement was reached with Jim Bellino. No charges have been brought against the others. Attempts to reach Frangipani by phone were unsuccessful.
More on Forensic Document Services, which has been banned from Ebay:
Forensic examiner Robert Prouty and a company known as Forensic Document Services caused a number of certificates to be issued based upon only limited, “cursory” reviews of autographs. Based upon information from the N.Y. Department of Consumer Affairs, federal law enforcement and Mr. Prouty, it appears that these limited reviews were not sufficient to provide meaningful assurances about the authenticity of the autograph. As a number of items issued with such certificates may be forgeries, eBay will not permit any such limited certificates of authenticity issued by Robert Prouty or Forensic Document Services to be used in any way on eBay.
In 2000, Alexis Bellino wasn’t in Jim Bellino’s orbit as the couple met six years ago.
From the Daily Pilot:
Bellino’s entrepreneur husband, Jim Bellino, used to own the now-closed Margaritaville restaurant on West Coast Highway. He juggles numerous business endeavors these days, including pawn loans and house flipping.
The couple met at a Palm Desert resort six years ago and have never spent a day apart since. They have 2-year-old twin daughters named Melania and Mackenna and a son, 3-year-old James.
One of Jim Bellino’s past ventures, pool tables, which we highlighted the “Alexis” and “Bellino” pool table collections in Real Housewives of Orange County: Alexis Bellino, Bravo’s Wild Card in Season Five Mix.
Bellino’s Newport Beach home
On September 9, the Bellino’s surfaced in Celebrity Real Estate News:
Judging from the description on the sales page, the Bellinos are trying to get rid of their home as quickly as possible. It says:
SELLERS ARE OPEN TO A TRADE OF A SMALLER HOME IN THE NEWPORT BEACH OR SURROUNDING AREAS. SELLER IS EXPERIENCED IN CREATIVE FINANCING AND WOULD ENTERTAIN ANY CREATIVE FINANCING OFFERS.
Real Housewives of OC: Alexis Bellino’s Newest Deep, Dark Secret
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[...] Jim Bellino was involved in a fake sports memorabilia FBI sting, Operation Bullpen. For more details read Alexis Bellino’s Husband Jim Bellino involved in FBI Fake Sports Memorabilia Sting?. [...]
This guy Belino is a money cleaner to the max Margaritaville never really did any business and I remember the pool table place, it is in the worst possible location. This guy is a scumer all the way and I bet after the guys he turned on get out of Prison, he will get his.
Hope those poor kids are ok
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dm Reply:
February 20th, 2010 at 09:03
With man-boobs like Jim’s, that ugly mug will be quite popular in the pokie (no pun intended)
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[...] to have some questionable binezz practices.  I am sure everyone read all about how his punk ass got in trouble with the feds for some counterfeit bullshit. I also read somewhere he used to own some restaurant called Margaritaville and it closed down [...]
Hi, PKCOURT,
How long do you think Margaritaville was around? They say this couple lives in Newport Coast is so wrong. Has anyone heard of the Island where John Wayne owned a house? But like california people saying BS it not all that.
What is pool company name?
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I have lived in the OC since 1967 ….. I am a native …. I ‘ve partied with Jim on many occasions. He is a criminal just as the Feds found him. He gives OC it’s bad rap. He’s a big loser and he knows it. Hes nothing but a common criminal who was in the memorabilia business since day one….remember “Field of Dreams Jimbo” ? So sad you are now the laughing stock of the American public…right where you belong. You’re just another train wreck waiting to happen … can’t wait to watch brother …..I feel sorry for his bimbo wife….No Clue!!!!!
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This guy “donated” a Babe Ruth ball to a charity auction and received a base price with the “excess” going to the charity. This happened AFTER he was convicted. The gentleman that purchased the ball for over $1000 had it authenticated, and it was deemed 100% FAKE. Sounds like a possible “parole violation”?
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[...] sources TMZÂ , OC Register, Realitytea, USMagazine, and Deathby1000papercuts. [...]
John Wayne lived in Bayshores which is a gate guarded community off of PCH, not an island. His home was on a corner lot and faced the turning basin in Newport Harbor. You may be confusing Bayshores with Harbor Island, Bay Island or Lido Island which were the other three corners of the turning basin.
Margaritaville was around for probably 20 or more years. It had been there forever! I seem to remember Reggie Jackson the baseball player had one of his collectors cars stolen out of valet parking. I want to think it was a vintage Shelby Mustang, but I’m not sure anymore.
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[...] Alexis Bellino’s Husband Jim Bellino involved in FBI Fake Sports Memorabilia Sting? [...]
[...] Alexis Bellino’s Husband Jim Bellino involved in FBI Fake Sports Memorabilia Sting? [...]
When Jim stated that he was Armenian well it didn’t surprise me at all!
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Jim Bellino…Mr. I am a Christian and a God like person and go to church….Just another one of those people that use God’s name and the word Christianity to hide behind. Oh that’s right you can all screw over your brothers and sisters because you are FORGIVEN since you are a BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN..ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. If being a Christian means being like you then I will have nothing to do with it or with your GOD! And my Mother wonders why I no longer believe in organized religion….I only believe in ACTIONS, THE GOLDEN RULE AND HELPING PEOPLE AND TRYING TO BE AS GOOD A HUMAN BEING A MOTHER TERESA.
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