Ex-club manager admits owning stolen NY Mets items

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets’ longtime clubhouse manager has admitted he illegally owned millions of dollars’ worth of team memorabilia.

Charlie Samuels pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Queens courthouse to possessing stolen property and tax fraud.

He is expected to be sentenced in April to five years’ probation. The 55-year-old is also banned from any Mets facility, even if he buys a ticket.

Samuels was fired by the team in 2010. He had worked for the Mets since 1976 and became equipment manager in 1983.

District Attorney Richard Brown says Samuels admitted having almost $2.3 million worth of Mets memorabilia and collectibles. His guilty plea includes charges that he evaded paying city and state sales taxes.

The Mets issued a statement thanking those involved in the investigation.