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Officers began the inquiry in February 2018 following a complaint that an eBay user was selling memorabilia online complete with fake autographs.
Enquiries showed that between 2014 and 2018, McCabe sold over 876 football, rugby, and other shirts claiming to be signed by famous sportspeople and advertised them as genuine.
Evidence from consumers revealed the tracking of packaging back to McCabe's address, where 'tamper evident' labels and padded envelopes were also supplied. Durham Crown Court (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
Money from the sale of the shirts was sent from various PayPal accounts into Ruddick's bank account, which he allowed to be withdrawn and re-banked.
Into Ruddick's account there were 294 deposits from PayPal between 31 March 2014 and 24 April 2018, totalling £44,337.51.
An approximate revenue of £60,500 was made from the scam. The lowest price shirt was sold at £16.02 and the highest-paid was £830.
In November 2020, Ruddick, of Front Street, pleaded guilty to charges of transferring criminal property.
He was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and a two-month curfew was imposed restricting him to his home from 7pm to 7am. Remortgaged house to pay back £60k
At Durham Crown Court , McCabe, of Durham Road, pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud and a charge of transferring criminal property.
At his sentencing hearing on Wednesday, he said he has since re-mortgaged his property to fund the repayment of his victims.
He has now been given a 20-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and been ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.
McCabe was also given a two-month curfew restricting him to his home from 8pm to 6am and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,322, and £60,500 in compensation to his victims under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Owen Cleugh, council public protection manager, said: "There were hundreds of victims in this case who expected to receive genuine pieces of memorabilia but were instead left with items which are worthless.
"We hope this investigation serves as a warning to anyone trading in fake goods that if you are caught you may well end up before the courts and be handed a serious penalty and could face a prison sentence."
Residents can get advice about consumer and Trading Standards issues from the consumer helpline by calling 0808 223 1133. TeessideGazette

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.