Chicago man accused of selling fake Cubs hats while on probation for selling fake White Sox tickets
Bruce Lee and his lawyer walk out of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse after a hearing in February 2022.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
A 37-year-old Chicago man charged with selling counterfeit Cubs hats was doing so while on federal probation for selling fraudulent White Sox tickets, Cook County officials said Friday.
Bruce Lee was arrested Wednesday after undercover officers purchased the counterfeit Cubs bucket hats from Lee on two separate occasions in Wrigleyville, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said in a news release.
A brand representative determined the hats were fakes. At the time of his arrest, Lee had 78 counterfeit hats and a few Chicago Bears beanies in his possession, according to the release. Lee told law enforcement he sold the hats for $25 each.
Lee is on probation for swindling the White Sox out of roughly $1 million with the help of two ticket sellers who worked for the team. He was sentenced to a year and a half in prison in 2021 after a jury found him guilty for several counts of wire fraud.
In January 2020, prosecutors had accused Lee of making $868,369 by selling 34,876 fraudulently obtained tickets during the 2016 through 2019 baseball seasons.
At a hearing Friday at the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building, Lee’s bail was set at $2,900. His next court date is scheduled for June 1.