Former Bengals intern charged with stealing from locker room
He allegedly stole 106 items from the locker room this season.
A former Cincinnati Bengals athletic training department intern was indicted for stealing 106 items worth an estimated $3,588.73 from the team's locker room. He was charged with a fifth-degree felony -- the lowest in Ohio -- that carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
According to Cincinnati.com, items stolen include personalized Bengals' shoes, team gear, practice wear and other game-worn items. The intern would take them from the locker room and give them to a friend, who proceeded to sell the items on eBay.
The intern, Nicholas Brannon, has returned all of the merchandise that was still in his possession to the Bengals. His attorney also said he plans to reimburse the team for the fair value of the items that have already been sold.
His attorney, Bill Gallagher, is hoping the case will be resolved quickly and his client will be referred to pre-trial diversion rather than face conviction. "He didn't know that it originally had any other value other than just being a fan," Gallagher said. "Then somebody else realizes it had value somewhere else even though (he) really wanted it in (his) room. That's the way it really started with him. It really, really did."
