CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that Jacob Paxton, 27, and Jason Bowling, 50, pleaded guilty for stealing over $2 million worth of baseball cards from the Best Western in Strongsville. 52 out of the 54 stolen cards were located at Bowling’s residence in Cleveland. Two baseball cards, totaling $89,540 in value, remain missing.

“Jacob Paxton is a thief who almost hit the jackpot. Fortunately, he is also stupid which led to his capture. He should sit in prison until he coughs up the other two cards.”

Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley

On April 17, 2024, a FedEx delivery employee dropped off a package containing 54 vintage baseball cards worth $2,123,447 at a Best Western hotel on Royalton Road in Strongsville. The cards were shipped to the hotel by Memory Lane Inc., a company that deals in vintage sports cards, for a sports card conference that was taking place next door. The next day a representative for Memory Lane Inc. attempted to claim the package after receiving an email confirmation that the package had been delivered. The hotel staff informed the representative that the package could not be located. The company representative called the police and Strongsville Police Department (SPD) responded to the scene.

After further investigation by SPD, it was determined that Jacob Paxton, a Best Western employee, had rifled through several packages that had been delivered to the hotel. Upon discovering the box of vintage baseball cards, he stole the package and took the cards to Jason Bowling’s residence near Roanoke Avenue and State Road in Cleveland. On May 23, SPD executed a search warrant on Bowling’s residence. 52 out of the 54 stolen baseball cards were recovered. Phone records, surveillance records, GPS evidence, and witness testimony linked Paxton and Bowling to the crime.

Two cards remain missing. A 1909 Ramly Walter Johnson card and a 1941 Ted Williams card.

If you have any information about this matter, please contact the Strongsville Police Department at 440.580.3247 and reference report #2024-000693.

On October 1, 2024, Jason Bowling was indicted on the following charge:

  • One count of Receiving Stolen Property

On October 2, 2024, Jacob Paxton was indicted on the following charges:

  • One count of Aggravated Theft of One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars or More

They will be sentenced on December 16 at 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center.