Formal charges have been filed against the organizers of an alleged counterfeit sports memorabilia operation tied to Riverbend Storage Court in Maysville, Kentucky, where authorities seized 5,517 suspected counterfeit items with an estimated value of $295,664. Five people were arrested in connection with the operation.

The charges follow an investigation that found repeated authentication serial numbers on some of the seized memorabilia, a sign investigators said prompted them to seek records connected to possible online sales. The filings formally bring the alleged organizers before the court process following the storage-unit seizure.

Consumer protection officer Cassius Okafor said buyers who may have purchased memorabilia connected to the operation should preserve receipts, shipping records, and photographs of certificates or labels. Those materials may help investigators identify items sold online and document the suspected sales.