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Dennis Walker (criminal)

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Dennis Walker
Photograph of Dennis Walker
Dennis Walker in 1985
Born
Dennis Lyle Walker

(1943-12-26)December 26, 1943
Ogden, Utah, U.S.
DiedJune 5, 1987(1987-06-05) (aged 43)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Nevada, Reno
Washington State University
SpouseSharon
Children5

Dennis Lyle Walker (December 26, 1943 – July 5, 1987) was an American criminal who used investments made to his bank, the International Bank of the South Pacific, to acquire millions worth of sports memorabilia and rare gems. His large collection included items directly purchased from Pete Rose

Born in Ogden, Utah, Walker was educated at the University of Nevada, Reno and Washington State University. He worked as a professor at Southern Oregon State College and was a lay bishop for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Walker established the International Bank of the South Pacific with a charter in Tonga. He received investments after promising returns of 25–30%. The National Sports Hall of Fame was opened by Walker in February 1985, and featured 250 World Series and Super Bowl rings among its collection. He fled from Oregon after charges were filed by the Oregon Attorney General in 1986, and was discovered dead the next year. $7 million worth of memorabilia was left uncounted for at the time of his death.

Early life

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Dennis Lyle Walker was born on December 26, 1943, in Ogden, Utah.[1] He graduated from Reno High School in 1961,[2] the University of Nevada, Reno with bachelor's and master's degrees, and a doctorate from Washington State University.[3][1]

In 1972, Walker was made a lay bishop for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the second ward of Ashland, Oregon.[4] He was a member of the school board of the Phoenix-Talent School District, and a political science professor at Southern Oregon State College[5] from 1971 to 1981. He married Sharon, with whom he had five children.[6][3]

Fraud and collection

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Walker opened the International Bank of the South Pacific with a charter in Tonga, and managed it with four other people. Members of his LDS congregation invested into his bank. Investors were promised returns of 25–30%,[5] but Walker instead used their money to buy sports memorabilia.[7] He also bought rare gems, including a 6,100 carat blue topaz worth $300,000.[3]

In 1985, Walker acquired Babe Ruth's uniform.[8] Walker held $350,000 worth of Pete Rose memorabilia[9] and directly bought items from Rose, including Rose's Hickok Belt, a $30,000 diamond-studded ring given to him for his 4,000th hit, the baseball bat that he broke the all-time hits record with,[10][11] and two championship rings.[12] The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimated that his collection was worth $5–7 million.[13]

In February 1985, Rose was the mastery of ceremonies for the opening of Walker's National Sports Hall of Fame, which claimed to have around $20 million (equivalent to $58,471,535 in 2024) worth of memorabilia.[5][13] The collection included Lou Gehrig's ring for the 1936 World Series, Willie Mays' ring for the 1954 World Series, Jim Brown's NFL championship ring, a bronze medal from the 1896 Summer Olympics, Jim Craig's gold medal from the 1980 Winter Olympics, and a total of 250 World Series and Super Bowl rings.[14]

Death

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The Oregon Attorney General's office filed racketeering charges against Walker on February 6, 1986, claiming that he sold around $2.3 million (equivalent to $6,597,662 in 2024) in unregistered certificates of deposit to investors in California, Oregon, Utah, and Washington from November 1984 to July 1985. This figure was later raised to $6–7 million.[15][5] Walker disappeared and was not noticed until his attorneys told the court that they could not find him on October 27, 1986.[16][17] Walker's case was covered in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries.[18][7]

Walker signed into a Las Vegas motel under the name Charles Lee using a non-existent address in Phoenix, Arizona,[13] and was found dead on July 5, 1987.[5] His identity was verified three weeks later by dental records.[19][13] His death was alleged to have been done by the American Mafia.[7] His funeral was held in Logandale, Nevada, on July 11.[1]

$7 million (equivalent to $19,374,048 in 2024) of sports memorabilia held by Walker was not accounted for by the time of his death.[9][13] A collector named Sonny Jackson gave Ruth's uniform to the Suffolk County, New York, after the Unsolved Mysteries episode was aired.[7] Walker had $70,000 in unpaid debts to Rose.[13]

Works

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Obituary 1987.
  2. ^ High School 1961.
  3. ^ a b c Education 1986.
  4. ^ Bishop 1972.
  5. ^ a b c d e Death 1987.
  6. ^ Sharon 1986.
  7. ^ a b c d NYT 1995.
  8. ^ Curse 1995.
  9. ^ a b Rose Value 1989.
  10. ^ Rose 1989.
  11. ^ Rose Bat 1989.
  12. ^ Ring 1989.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Master 1989.
  14. ^ Hall 1986.
  15. ^ Charges 1986.
  16. ^ Court 1986.
  17. ^ Disappear 1987.
  18. ^ Mystery 1988.
  19. ^ Tenative 1987.

Works cited

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