Mykalai Kontilai Sentenced to Prison for Fraudulent Scheme Involving Jackie Robinson Contracts

Mykalai Kontilai, a notorious figure in the business world, who purchased Jackie Robinson's first professional contracts with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Montreal Royals for $2 million in 2013, has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for wire fraud. Kontilai, 55, faced a federal judge on Wednesday and was also ordered to pay $6.1 million in restitution after pleading guilty to the charges two weeks ago. The criminal indictment included charges of securities fraud, money laundering, and willful failure to file tax returns, all linked to his involvement in an elaborate investment fraud scheme.


Kontilai had leveraged the Robinson contracts, which have since been seized by the U.S. Marshals Service, to raise over $23 million for a start-up e-commerce auction business called Collector’s Coffee, Inc. (CCI). He falsely claimed that the contracts were worth up to $36 million, using them as a cornerstone of a fraudulent business plan to attract investors. He then misappropriated $6.1 million of the funds for personal use, which included purchasing a Cadillac with a personalized license plate reading "MYKALAI," paying for private school tuition, and renting luxury homes across the United States—all to maintain a facade of a lavish lifestyle.


Prosecutors alleged that Kontilai misled banks to steal investor funds from corporate accounts, lied to the SEC about his misappropriation of investor funds, and concealed the proceeds from the Internal Revenue Service.


In 2019, as the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched their respective criminal and civil investigations, Kontilai sought asylum in Russia, claiming to be a whistleblower. He was arrested on an Interpol Red Notice in Germany last year and extradited to the U.S. in May.


Originally, criminal indictments in Nevada and Colorado collectively carried a maximum sentence of 300 years in prison. However, Kontilai entered a plea deal on November 21, reducing the maximum possible sentence to 20 years and requiring $6.1 million in restitution. Charges in Colorado were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.


​Kontilai's sentencing marks the end of a lengthy legal battle and the downfall of a man who used high-profile memorabilia to deceive investors and finance his personal extravagances. As he prepares to serve his sentence, the focus shifts to the restitution process and the efforts to compensate the defrauded investors.