An employee of a Tempe, Ariz. hotel was arrested trying to sell stolen Super Bowl rings belonging to Mark May at a pawn shop in Las Vegas, according to Joe Enea and Shane Dale of ABC 15.
Gold & Silver Pawn, the store featured on History Channel’s decade-long program Pawn Stars, helped authorities bust hotel engineer Marcel Behnert in his attempt to sell May’s stolen rings earlier this month.
May had worn the rings for a charity even in Scottsdale in February and mistakenly left the rings in his hotel safe. The rings and watches belonging to May were found by hotel staff and came into Behnert’s possession.
Behnert allegedly tried to sell the pair of rings for $12,000, which raised immediate questions by the staff. Considering a single 2006 Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl ring issued to defensive lineman Montae Reagor is currently listed by the store for $80,000 and a 1989 Denver Broncos AFC Championship ring issued to defensive lineman Greg Kagan is listed for $60,000, the asking price for the rings was understandably curious.
“I asked the pawn broker how much the guy was looking for, and he told me the amount, and my first reaction was, ‘Each?’ And he goes, ‘No, for both of them,’” General Manager Andy Zimmerman told the station.
“Given what he was looking for, I thought that doesn’t have a good sign to it. So I told my pawn broker, go back out there and counter, and see what he does. We countered at a lower price, and he accepted it, which led me to believe even further that there was a problem.”
The store reached out to May and confirmed he had not elected to part with his rings. Authorities then arrested Behnert when he returned the following day to sell the rings.
May’s watches were then found in a safe in Behnert’s home. He has been charged with theft and trafficking in stolen property.
May won both his Super Bowls playing for the Washington Redskins in 1983 and 1988. He also played for the San Diego Chargers and Phoenix Cardinals during his 13-year NFL career before moving into a broadcasting career.
