Two Southern California students busted for stealing jerseys at NFL draft
Two University of Southern California students have been charged with stealing NFL jerseys that were designed for first-round draft picks at the NFL draft last week in Kansas City, according to the prosecutor in Jackson County, Missouri.
Eric Lambkins and Jude Ocañas each faced burglary, stealing and a misdemeanor count of trespassing after NFL officials reported Friday that three NFL jerseys were stolen from the Nike Room of the NFL draft. The jerseys, valued at $350 each, featured the No. 1 on the back and were to be available for the first-round draft picks of the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.
A Southern Caifornia website identified them as credentialed student reporters who were in Kansas City to cover the draft.
Their credentialed status at the draft and security camera footage led to their arrests at the Kansas City airport later that day as they attempted to leave for California, according to a detective’s statement in the case. The Cowboys and 49ers jerseys were found in their luggage, and the recovered jerseys then were confirmed by NFL employees to be the stolen merchandise, according to the statement.
The students’ attorney David Bell issued a statement about the case to USC Annenberg Media:
“Out of respect for our system of justice, we are not going to comment on the evidence outside of the courtroom. We are confident that the unique set of circumstances in this case, combined with the extraordinary reputations of Mr. Lambkins and Mr. Ocañas, will result in a fair and equitable resolution to all parties involved.”