OJ Simpson Heisman Trophy: Lewis Eugene Starks Jr. Charged In Statue Theft

Los Angeles -- California prosecutors brought charges against Lewis Eugene Starks Jr. on Wednesday, allegedly in connection with the theft of a 1968 O.J. Simpson Heisman Trophy in 1994 after recovering it earlier in 2015. Before O.J. Simpson was a perpetual defendant, he was a football star and the winner of the Heisman Trophy. Disgraced in the media, ejected from the sports world and found liable for damages in the murder of his wife, Simpson found himself in a mountain of debt and court costs. He’s now in prison on other charges.

The former football star sold his Heisman trophy via an auction house to an anonymous collector for $230,000. But there were two copies of the statue. The other one was displayed in the University of Southern California’s Heritage Hall until one night in the summer of 1994 after Simpson’s arrest. That copy went missing for years, until the LAPD recovered in in January, allegedly in the possession of Lewis Eugene Starks Jr.

Mr. Starks is being charged with one count of receiving stolen property. L.A. prosecutors say that Starks attempted to sell the trophy in an online auction for $70,000. He is not charged with the 1994 burglary at USC. The criminal complaint filed by the district attorney noted that Stark was convicted of a separate burglary in the past. Mr. Starks was reportedly arrested on Monday. If convicted, he could face up to six years in jail.