A 21-year-old Germantown man is wanted in Pennsylvania after being accused of selling counterfeit trading cards for $15,000. North Huntingdon Township Police have obtained an arrest warrant for Joel Brown in connection with a January transaction involving rare cards from the popular One Piece trading card game.
According to investigators, the victim found four high-value cards listed on Facebook Marketplace by a seller using the name “Eric Mercado” and agreed to purchase them for $15,000. After the sale took place at Norwin Town Square in Pennsylvania, the victim later learned from a resale shop that the cards appeared to be fake due to differences in markings and printing details. Police said the seller subsequently blocked the victim on Facebook and by phone.
According to police, an investigation linked the Facebook account and associated phone numbers to Brown. Search warrants and geolocation records allegedly placed Brown in the area of the transaction at the time of the sale. Authorities also stated that Brown has been linked to other trading card-related scams in the Virginia area. Brown is charged with theft, receiving stolen property and simulating objects of antiquity or rarity. The charges are allegations, and Brown is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
