Many baseball fans may not be too familiar with former journeyman MLB pitcher Omar Olivares. However, that didn't stop a Missouri man from using Olivares' identity to sell fake memorabilia from the right-hander, who spent 12 big league seasons with eight different teams..
Police in Manchester, Missouri -- a St. Louis suburb -- arrested a man who had apparently been posing as Olivares for financial gain.
The specifics from the allaged scams have not yet been released. The real Olivares retired from baseball in 2001, and has been living in Pennsylvania, where he learned of the impersonation.
"Last evening, the Manchester Police Department arrested a subject who identified himself as being former St. Louis Baseball Cardinals Pitcher Omar Olivares," the Manchester Police Department announced on their Facebook page. "Investigation revealed that this subject had stolen Mr. Olivares' identity and was using this ruse to sell "autographed" baseballs and other memorabilia to unsuspecting fans. He also used this scam to trick victims into "loaning" him money that was never paid back."
Perhaps the St. Louis area was an easy target because Olivares pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1990 to 1994 in the early portion of his career. Olivares retired with a 77-86 record with a 4.67 ERA. His best season came in 1999 when he won 15 games splitting time between the Anaheim Angels and Oakland Athletics.
