It took authorities roughly six weeks to track down the man who stole Tom Brady’s game-worn Super Bowl jersey, but apparently the thief had been getting away with similar heists well before February.
Sources familiar with the situation told TMZ that Mauricio Ortega, the former Mexican newspaper director who has been accused of stealing Brady’s Super Bowl LI jersey in addition to his jersey from Super Bowl XLIX, has been “selling various sports collectibles for years.” Ortega supposedly authenticated the memorabilia to buyers by showing them photos he took with prominent NFL figures like Brady, Robert Kraft and Ben Roethlisberger.
One particular item, Brady’s jersey from the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl win over the Seattle Seahawks two years ago, was reportedly being shopped to a group of wealthy collectors who believed it was obtained legally. Ortega was said to be asking $75,000 the item.
TMZ also noted that Ortega has had access to Super Bowl locker rooms for at least 10 years, so there’s no telling if he has been swiping items from teams and players all along. In addition to the two Brady jerseys, there have been rumblings that the same person who robbed Brady may have stolen something from Von Miller after Super Bowl 50.
A video that was obtained by Jay Glazer of FOX Sports appeared to show a man — supposedly Ortega — entering the locker room after Super Bowl LI not far behind Bill Belichick. He later exited with an item tucked under his left arm that he did not have several minutes before. You can see the footage here.
