Feds seize knockoff Chiefs, Royals, Jayhawks championship rings shipped to Kansas

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Cincinnati, Ohio, seized a shipment of nearly 100 fake championship rings designed to look like ones for the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals and Kansas Jayhawks this week, the agency said Friday. The load of rings, if legitimate, would have been worth $2.71 million, according to customs officials.

The parcel containing the knockoffs, which was shipped from Hong Kong and bound for a residence in Atchison, Kansas, had 40 2019 Chiefs Super Bowl rings, 20 1969 Chiefs Super Bowl rings, 15 1985 Royals rings and 15 2022 Kansas Jayhawks championship rings inside, all fake. The rings, which had registered trademarks for the NFL, NCAA and MLB on them, were sent to an imports specialist for review.

“The specialist noticed the rings were poor quality, had inferior packaging, a low declared value, were inaccurately declared, and lacked security features,” the customs agency said in a news release. “The merchandise was deemed inauthentic and was seized for bearing counterfeit trademarks.”

The parcel received scrutiny Thursday when an X-ray exam yielded inconclusive results and a physical exam was required, the agency said. Officers opened the package and then found the 90 fake rings inside.