4th Convention Theft Was Not in the Cards

ANAHEIM — The 12th National Sports Collectors Convention closed Sunday, but not before a fourth theft of valuable baseball cards was attempted.

This time, police arrested a suspect, Ronald Alan Fink, 44, who reportedly tried to stuff $30,000 worth of cards into a Louis Vuitton bag.

Sheriff’s deputies at Orange County Jail said Fink was charged with grand theft and released on $10,000 bail.

In earlier incidents: Larry and Sally Levine, owners of the Redondo Beach-based Memory Lane Card Co., reported losing $250,000 worth of sports cards from a locked and guarded convention center Wednesday night. Next, an older collection valued at $200,000 to $300,000 was reported missing from the hall. The third theft involved the loss of about $100,000 worth of cards owned by Bill Kennedy of Long Island, N.Y.

In the most recent case, a security official told reporters that Fink had apparently flashed a badge to gain access to a secure area where promotional cards were being distributed into free kits.