Mass Resignations, Lives Threatened as AFTAL is Hijacked During Behind the Scenes Forgery Investigation

Formed with the stated goal of stamping out fake autographs, AFTAL, the Autograph Fair Trade Alliance, attracted many of UK's and Europe's most reputable dealers as members. But while the vast majority of AFTAL dealers lived its stated goal, including a recognized expert used by law enforcement to testify against the forgery industry, AFTAL's two primary founders, Dominic Manning and Marc Mclennan, used it as cover to sell and authenticate thousands of forgeries. Manning has seized control of the organization after an AFTAL steering committee found that he sold hundreds of fake Michael Jackson autographs he claimed to have gotten in person. And like a mansion built on quicksand, AFTAL is crumbling.

As the legally listed head of AFTAL, Manning, owner of Behind the Scenes Autographs, disbanded the steering committee last week that was formed in December by boardmember Garry King after Manning and another boardmember were forced to resign. Manning then reportedly had AFTAL's lawyer slap a suppression order (gag order) on the former members of the committee, forbidding them to talk publicly about Manning's actions or their determination that the Michael Jacksons Manning sold were forgeries.

In the UK, even revealing that you are under a suppression order can have you held in contempt of court, so little information about it has come out and no public documents appear to be available. But the sudden silence of former steering members who used to speak to me confirms its existence in my mind.

Events have taken a violent turn. Several autograph dealers have reportedly been threatened by Manning or the source of the forgeries, Adrian Longden, and police reports have been filed. At least one victim is in fear of his life.

Roughly a third of AFTAL members have resigned or are in the process of doing so, and many more are anticipated to resign as they hear about the scandal.

Stay tuned for more. Autograph Magazine is preparing a list of current and former AFTAL dealers considered reputable. Please message me if you would like to be considered for this list.

For more details on AFTAL's actions and the Dominic Manning/Adrian Longden forgeries, read the following Autograph Magazine Live! discussions:

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Comment by Garry King on February 5, 2013 at 2:31pm: Carl, not sure that you understood what i was trying to say.

AFTAL has to be a limited company to exist. If not it could not get liability insurance etc, so it would not be able to do anything at all.

Its not a big multi national with huge profits, in fact as far as i know it does not make any profit at all, and no dividends either, and nonody is 'heavily financially involved' either.

Its just a little limited company simply to protect itself and its members. I am not trying to defend Dominioc any anyome else on this one, just saying it as it is, and it can easily be checked by anyone anywhere in the world at Companies house which you can Google.

I am not sure how the UACC etc operate, but you will very likely find that they are a similar set up.

Comment by Carl Ryan on February 5, 2013 at 4:03pm: Thanks Gary,

I was expecting much more of a money flow. Probably not much of an issue then. So in general, if someone issues a Gag order on certain things, isnt their a limit of time before that gag order is up. I wouldnt think that their would be any way that Adrian/Dominic could keep a gag order up forever, but maybe they can, i just dont know. BUt that could be good news, b/c when or if the order is lifted, the proof the board members gathered can be revealed. More crucial than anything out of this, would seem to be the elimination of the Dominic/Adrian problem.

In order to do this though, what can be done. Do the AFTAL members out their know how they would go about getting rid of the CEO or even if that could be done. At this point it seems safe to say that Dominic/Adrian are people that a potentially new AFTAL would want to stay away from. But since apparently Dominic runs AFTAL, is the only choice that the members have to get rid of him to quit the organization?? Can they somehow ban together and take control of the organization, or is it a Him or nothing option? That would seem to be the step in determining if AFTAL will live or fail. If Dominic remains in charge then it seems unlikely to me that the organization will survive. But if the members can use their power to get rid of him, then thats a different story. Previously i thought AFTAL was dead in the water, but if they can get rid of Manning/Adrian then their would seem to be a chance. I would imagine this is what the members are thinking about at the moment. I doubt many will support AFTAL any longer if its CEO is still in charge after all this.

Comment by Mike P on February 5, 2013 at 4:47pm: With regard to Aring- when you disagree with him, he will be gutter. We don't need someone volatile on the forum, especially if one can't conduct business without cursing out the person he sold to..

Not to drift off topic, but with regard to AFTAL:

Does Marc McLellan and Dominic Manning own AFTAL? I know McLellan allowed the steering committee to go after Adrain but is he actually the owner

Comment by Carl Ryan on February 5, 2013 at 5:50pm: Its also interesting how Mike Airing tried to sell Bruce and MJ forgeries to Steve. In another instance Airing tried to get Steve to publish one of his signed items on the cover of autograph. Airing stated he got the item signed right in front of him but yet Roger Epperson identified it as a common forgery.

I have heard a few people try and defend Airing by stating that "he just has one of those personalities, and that you just have to get to know him to appreciate him". Thats a bunch of B.S. Anyone who has a disgusting, rude, obnoxious, arrogant personality doesnt belong in a public chat room. And they especially dont belong on this forum. Their was and is, no excuse for his behavior or his treatment of others. It is not worth even a portion of his autograph knowledge, to have to put up with such a figure. And STeve did the community a favor by booting him.

What you dont see are the many people who Airing chased away from this site b/c they were new and asked questions that he deemed "ignorant". You dont see the countless arguments that he caused by his bullying of others, b/c steve deleted most of them. If he feels the need to berate others now, then he can sit alone at home on fanmail.biz and try to show his "intelligence" to the world. But that type of a person hopefully will never be allowed here again.

Comment by Mike P on February 5, 2013 at 8:25pm: 100% agreed. I would know, as I was one of the seemingly unlucky customers. haha. Anyways...

Comment by shawn on February 6, 2013 at 7:48am: Mike, how would you be his "unlucky" customers? because you bashed a product that YOU personally asked every person on this site if it were real and they told you yes, but that PSA told you they simply can't authenticate it because it was Al Pacino (not that it was a fake, but because they COULDN'T authenticate it)? Mike told me this story a while ago and I was wondering who he was talking about? I would have to say, that after watching this site, the people HERE are better as a group of authenticators than PSA DNA as they consistently authenticate forgeries, secretarials and their friends questionable items. So I don't see how your particular argument holds water.
@Carl- where did Mike sell Bruce and Mj forgeries? To who? I saw that Jackson item that Steve and Roger say was bad. Hanging in his living room of his home. Now, why would he hang that up in his home if it were bad? That seems silly.
AS for blasting and berating people, that's nonsense and if he was a constant source of problems, I completely understand. Sounds like him as well. But as far as him having anything to do with fakes... Let's just say it was MY TRUCK that a well known forger opened the door, held down the seatbelt and pummeled Mike and put him in the hospital. Why? because Mike called him out as a forger 15 years ago (the beating was 15 years ago too.) I highly doubt that he'd take that beating just so he can be a forger.
See, this is the problem with this site. Honestly, you folks are taking Steve Cyrkin's posistion. And he just doesn't know anything. He's far from an expert. Let's just use his recent problems with Brandon Mysinger. He used to make glowing reviews of Brandon and now he's accusing Brandon of not only owning ebay names that are selling fakes, but saying that Brandon has admitted such fakery. Magically to Steve only. I believe Mike when he says that if you say something against Steve, you are immediately the bad guy. He loved Brandon like a son. I could see it in his posts. Not he's spewing lies about Brandon, just to discredit him. And see, that's where some of you folks are the idiots. Steve's the liar and he's turning this site into another ANL or being like that Steven Koschal guy you all despise.
Talk about the forgers winning the war, Steve Cyrkin is using this site to hack out his personal vendettas and back his friends who are basically criminals. But because some of you view him as some sort of expert (with him having absolutely no background in autograph collecting or selling- Mike ran that site and when he left, Starbrite was DONE!) you just keep following the heard.

I'm seriously not here to get you to put him back on. If Mike's a nuisance, he's a nuisance. And if he's not helping, so be it. But let's not pretend that this forgery thing is based on any kind of facts. Because it simply isn't. That Michael Jackson album is still on this website, has been for months. And not one of you has EVER commented on the item being fake. Not one!

Comment by shawn on February 6, 2013 at 7:59am: back to the problem at hand. If someone is being harassed, shouldn't they call the police? And once the police are involved, this should expose the whole sorted affair. It seems pretty stupid that anyone in this position would make a threat like this,knowing that it would help to expose the whole problem. I mean, wouldn't THAT seem logical?

Furthermore, it does seem that nearly every AFTAL member owns at least a few items from Adrian/Dominic connection. They had their claws deep in that group. I haven't ever heard of Adrian's product being here in the U.S., but if Roger Epperson has some in his possession that he's gotten from one, or a few, other dealers, I can assure you that it's all over. I have heard that Japan and China has been infiltrated with Adrian items. But those may or may not have been sold directly from Adrian, and came from someone he sold to, who then punted them off across the sea. I don't know the specifics, so I can't really speculate properly.
Lastly, what's gonna happen to AFTAL after all this ends (considering there is ever an end)? Will they endure? Or fold? I have to be honest... FOLD!

Comment by shawn on February 6, 2013 at 8:26am: @ Garry King
I actually just caught this because I didn't realize that there was a new page. I was actually looking for your answer to what I have said.
here's a response and what I meant.
""you have to also put yourself ABOVE reproach" Take a good look in the mirror mate, ever made a mistake, oh, you havn't, well done you. Every single dealer you know will have made a mistake at some point, so don't go on fooling yourself that the ones you might buy from are perfect, because they are not. That may annoy some, but if they are honest, they will say, yes, i have made some mistakes, after all we are all human."

Here's what I meant. Maybe this will help you understand a little better.
"you have to also put yourself ABOVE reproach"
You just have to. The moment you make a statement about another person's inventory, you have just started a fight with him and all his friends. If he's faking, knows his inventory is forged or even if he doesn't know any of this, that it all thrown out the window. You autographs dealers are a defensive bunch. But it's an aggressive defense. You just plain start going with the intent to hurt. Period.
YOU have to be above that! But in that vein, with the way you have become an authenticator. The way you have become an authority figure to a great many. The smaller people and the forgers are out to topple you. Regardless of how nice you are or how honest you are. You can even be the most helpful guy when it comes to helping your competition out. But as soon as there's just a little blood in the water, the sharks will attack. I realize that you fully trusted Dominic and unbeknownst to you, he joined the dark side. It probably happened over a number of years too. But, because of what you and your business have become, YOU have to be accountable and are the only one accountable. YOU have to know exactly when and where your items that you are buying are coming from. I'm assuming that you almost never went out collecting on your own, you just believed your sources. You probably don't have the time as business is exhausting on it's own. But you seriously have to find a way to get out there time and again and watch signing habits. Even if you don't actually get anything yourself, you have to be out there. And don't tell your sources that you are going ahead of time either... Just show up. It's a good way to know your source is true, but it's also a very good way to acquire new sources. It keeps your head in the game AND makes your source know that you could be out there watching them, keeping tabs to make sure the product that is going through you, is legit. Jason Thanos is right, the reason why forgery is so prolific, is because people aren't willing to spend 72 hours out there.
One of the biggest dealers here in the states is Autographpros. They have tons of inperson collectors roaming the streets in New York and L.A. I may not agree with some of their business practices, but at the same time, BOTH of those guys come out every once in a while. Mostly, to watch their people in action. And I tell you what, their people in L.A. were on their best behavior when they are out too. They aren't hiding the numbers they get from the mega stars (the Autographpros guys are notorious for selling A list people to others, even though they are supposed to be giving them to their bosses). And autographpros also know that their guys are out everyday, getting people at every event. Even they have been burned a few times. But they know who burned them and it definately doesn't happen again.
That's what I meant.
but to follow up. YES, I've NEVER been burned... simply because I am not an autograph dealer. Never was. I've never purchased an autograph (well, I paid for Barry Sanders at a show, but I watched Barry sign my helmet). When I did decide to sell my collection, it was all items that I had acquired myself. No trades, bargains, had a friend get me an extra. NOTHING. I am personally not in the position you are. And trust me, for you, it's a position of power. Whether you like it or not. With that power comes a greater responsibility than the rest of us. Hope that's not too much to handle. And yes, I highly agree with what you have done so far to manage the situation. Sorry if I am coming off so harshly, it's not my intention.

Comment by Robert McCluskey on February 6, 2013 at 8:36am: >>

Furthermore, it does seem that nearly every AFTAL member owns at least a few items from Adrian/Dominic connection.

That's a wild speculative guess with absolutely no foundation at all, to be fair to AFTAL. Of the 150 current and former AFTAL dealers, one would expect "nearly all" to be around the 140 mark ? I would be surprised if the number is even in double figures, especially as only 4 or 5 have actually been mentioned. Percentage wise that is like saying nearly every US President has been assassinated.

>>

I haven't ever heard of Adrian's product being here in the U.S., but if Roger Epperson has some in his possession that he's gotten from one, or a few, other dealers, I can assure you that it's all over. I have heard that Japan and China has been infiltrated with Adrian items. But those may or may not have been sold directly from Adrian, and came from someone he sold to, who then punted them off across the sea.

There is, of course, the possibility that Adrian was not the only dealer who obtained items the way he did. I can tell you that at no time did we determine that Adrian forged anything and nobody anywhere has put forward any evidence to suggest he did.

We were told that on a number of occasions items were handed in to security and were returned, signed, later on. We were also told that this happened with other dealers. As of today nobody, anywhere, has offered any proof that that was not the case. If this did happen, it is perfectly feasible that other dealers would have received the same signatures that Adrian received and they would, therefore, be consistent with the ones that have been determined as having come from Adrian - and with nobody commenting on this, people automatically assume that all the suspect MJ's have originated from Adrian.

There is a huge silence from international dealers on this matter... either they are unaware of the current discussions or they know a bit more about than they are willing to let on.

Comment by shawn on February 6, 2013 at 8:37am: @Garry King again. I just thought about this and decided to post it.
IF, you don't actually ever go out and get autographs and only rely on your sources. I don't think you should ever be commenting on other people's inventory IN ANY MANNER. As it seems that you have trusted the wrong person once or twice, your whole opinion comes from what another person sells to you. As it's come to light that some items are indeed forgeries A) that means you can't personally tell the difference anyway and B) you are basing your opinion based on a sample that is not authentic. And to both of these, I would take that to mean that you don't know what an authentic Michael Jackson or Heath Ledger looks like. Also, it means that you shouldn't be teaching classes on how to spot a forgery, if you yourself can not spot one. That would be like me teaching a church about god, when I'm personally an aetheist.

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