Wolverines fans can’t seem to catch a break. Just as the memory of Sherrone Moore was fading away, and the exit of Warde Manuel was at least symbolically achieved, here comes another scam to bring the stereotypes back around. Except this time, the administration is actually innocent. It’s a fan taking advantage over other Michigan fans.

A Plymouth-based man built a UM community that reaps the benefits of the large Wolverines fandom. His organization, Hailgate, began as a donor-led initiative focused on events, tailgates, and merchandise sales. However, things changed after UM’s 2023 national title run. Now, the organization has been accused of massive scams through that same donor-led initiative.

FOX 2 Detroit reported that Hailgate has allegedly scammed nearly 400 people. The Plymouth-based owner, John Klein, is accused of leading the scam surrounding this year’s Morgan Wallen concert, which is set to take place at the Big House. According to several accounts, Hailgate has scammed UM fans after promising them Michigan memorabilia and even a meetup with Morgan Wallen. However, nothing of that sort happened.

“He was saying he could get team-signed helmets with Bryce on them, so I sent him the money. I ended up sending him $700 for a team-signed helmet and one of the footballs with the Michigan logo,” a Florida man, Brett Laskey, said to FOX 2 Detroit. “And I reached out to him. I go, ‘Hey, how’d it go? When are you going to send my helmet?’ And he comes back with, ‘Oh, they aren’t signing the way I wanted them to sign. They were only doing initials.’ He’s compromised.”

According to another woman FOX 2 spoke with, she was promised a meet-and-greet through Hailgate. She paid $120 for that, but later it turned out there were no meet-and-greets with Wallen. That’s not all; John Klein, on his December 3 post on Facebook, claims to provide ‘Wallen Jerseys $6 or #26 Maize White’ for $100 and signatures on the jersey for $115. Additionally, he claimed to have organized a full-hour meet-and-greet with Wallen for 2 for $1,500. None of these offerings were fulfilled, according to victims.

“Wallen does not participate in any VIP activities,” the message on Ticketmaster reads. “Packages do not include a Meet & Greet or Photograph with Morgan Wallen.”

Wallen’s concert is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Big House. The organizers have requested that tickets be booked through approved platforms. Klein allegedly exploited his reputation as a UM insider with program connections to lend credibility to his offers. Jessika Tyler, who previously worked with Klein’s business, accused him of widespread scams totaling over a million dollars. That also includes selling fake memorabilia.

This is a high-profile example of trust-based sports fraud and it is certainly not the only one. In July, 2025, Brett Lemieux, the founder of an Indiana-based sports collectibles outlet called Mister Mancave (and its associated entities), became the subject of a massive multi-agency law enforcement sweep.

Lemieux operated a forgery operation that utilized sophisticated autopens and replica artists to falsify autographs across thousands of high-value items. He stamped them with counterfeit Certificates of Authenticity (COAs) bearing the forged markers of major trusted brands like Fanatics, Panini, and JSA. Before allegedly taking his own life, Lemieux had admitted online that the scheme generated over $350 million in fraudulent sales spanning two decades.

In February, federal prosecutors secured guilty pleas from two brothers, Donald and Mark Henkel, who were running a 15-year-long counterfeit enterprise. Rather than targeting modern college standouts, the Henkels systematically fabricated vintage sports history. They manufactured fake baseballs and bats purportedly signed by legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Honus Wagner.

They artificially aged the gear to pass rigorous collector checks, tricking major auction houses into selling them to top-tier investors. The brothers Donald and Mark had admitted to fraud that caused $780,000 and $332,500, respectively, in financial loss to the victims.

“We have to be vigilant, we have to be aware,” said Ryan Hoge, who is the president of grading and authentication at Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), as reported by ESPN. “And if [we] start seeing different styles or large quantities of something where the style is slightly off, we’ll circle the wagons.”

As for the current case of  John Klein, the most glaring scam came to light regarding fake UM memorabilia. Tyler accused Klein of selling merchandise with forged signatures of UM football players Bryce Underwood, J.J. McCarthy, and Charles Woodson. Brett Laskey revealed the scam after Klein allegedly promised him Michigan memorabilia and season tickets. After the alleged scam, Laskey filed a lawsuit and recovered his $700 on Monday. Michigan has now released a statement.

Michigan releases a statement regarding John Klein

On July 17, Wallen’s attorneys had already sent a cease-and-desist letter to Klein. The pop singer’s team accused him of unauthorized advertising and of selling VIP tickets and merchandise. The attorneys’ letter states that Klein was not a representative of Wallen and that Wallen had not authorized him to use the singer’s trademarks, name, or image. Not only that, but it also instructed him to retain all documents, emails, and financial records and to provide proof of compliance by July 20. Michigan has also clarified its stance.

“Michigan Athletics has never had a business relationship with John Klein,” UM’s athletics spokesperson David Ablauf said in a statement. “Before last football season, we were made aware of some issues by parents within the football program, who dealt with him from an NIL standpoint, as well as former student-athletes who had issues with Klein. On multiple occasions, our licensing agency has sent Klein cease-and-desist letters regarding unlicensed merchandise.”

Despite everything people have alleged, Klein hasn’t stopped his alleged unauthorized activities. A Jackson man, Brett Laskey, alleged in a Facebook post that Klein ran a $599 scam. Laskey immediately filed a lawsuit in small claims court. On July 20, Klein refunded the money. According to court records, Klein has multiple criminal cases in Oakland County Circuit Court. In one of them, he even pleaded guilty to three ‘false pretenses’ charges and fraud.