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Two men were sentenced Monday in connection to the theft of rare baseball cards worth $2.1 million from a Strongsville hotel earlier this year.
Jacob R. Paxton, 28, of Brunswick, who worked at the hotel, pleaded guilty in October to aggravated theft. He was sentenced to four to six years in prison, followed by two to five years of community control. Paxton was also ordered to pay over $89,000 in restitution. A second charge of tampering with evidence was dismissed as part of his plea deal.
The theft occurred when the collectibles, shipped by vintage sports card dealer Memory Lane Inc., arrived at the Best Western Plus hotel along Royalton Road on April 17. The cards were intended for a sports card expo at the Brunswick Auto Mart Arena nearby. Prosecutors allege that Paxton, an employee of the hotel, went through packages delivered to the hotel and stole the valuable cards.
In court, Paxton expressed regret for his actions. “I just want to say that I’m very sorry to the victim, and this doesn’t show who I am,” he said. “I have a 2-year-old … it’s just me and him. I’ve been doing my very best. I wasn’t honest with the detectives at first that I had [the cards]. I should have been. I was just scared.”
After the theft, Paxton brought the stolen cards to Jason Bowling, 51, of Cleveland. Bowling’s attorney, Jaye Schlachet, claimed Bowling believed the cards were found in a dumpster and did not know they were stolen.
Police executed a search warrant at Bowling’s home on May 23 and recovered all but two of the stolen cards. Investigators relied on phone records, surveillance footage, GPS data, and witness statements to link both men to the crime.
Bowling pleaded guilty in October to receiving stolen property and was sentenced to one year of community control.
The theft caused significant financial and reputational harm to Memory Lane Inc. According to a victim impact statement, the incident led the company to lose a $2 million loan and $100,000 in interest, in addition to damaging its reputation.
Two of the stolen cards remain missing:
Anyone with information about the missing cards is urged to contact Strongsville police at 440-580-3247, referencing report No. 2024-000693.
