1965 World Series ring among items stolen, ex-Dodger Jim Lefebvre says

Attorneys for former MLB player and manager Jim Lefebvre and his wife, Marla, filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing two employees of a moving company of stealing a World Series championship ring, baseball memorabilia and private information leading to the theft of the couple’s identities.

The lawsuit says Tuxedo Moving LLC should be held accountable for damage to items in the couple’s home and for improperly screening the workers who stole the ring and other items during a June move from Henderson to San Diego.

Muslusky Law, which is representing the plaintiffs, filed the complaint in Clark County District Court.

Repeated attempts to contact ownership of Tuxedo Moving were unsuccessful Thursday, and a website listed for the business in Las Vegas was not working.

The lawsuit says the FBI is investigating the two workers for connections to a nationwide identity theft collective. According to the suit, the workers forged checks, applied for lines of credit in the Lefebvres’ names and stole their Social Security numbers.

The workers took checks, passports and other identifying information from the couple’s home to steal their identities, according to the complaint. Bank accounts had to be closed as a result, the suit says, and the Lefebvres fell behind on bills.

The lawsuit seeks at least $265,000 in general damages and at least $30,000 in special damages. It cites at least $65,500 in stolen property, including a 1965 World Series ring valued at $50,000, and about $1,500 in property damage. It says the Lefebvres suffered $100,000 each in losses associated with the identity theft.

Court records show one of the workers, James Lee Taylor Jr., pleaded guilty to felony grand larceny in December for taking the World Series ring, a wedding band, an Amazon Echo speaker and jewelry. He is slated to be sentenced at the end of March.

The lawsuit says the second worker, Dakarai Bryant, also pleaded guilty to grand larceny. Both are cooperating with federal agents as they investigate the identify theft operation, according to the complaint.

In addition to stealing items, the lawsuit says, the workers are responsible for physical damage to other property, and Tuxedo Moving has declined to pay for the damage.

The lawsuit says the workers stole Jim Lefebvre’s prescription medication, leading to complications with his physical pain that came from his long baseball career. An infielder on the Los Angeles Dodgers team that won the 1965 World Series, he was named National League Rookie of the Year that year. He later managed the Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers.

The lawsuit lists Marla Lefebvre as a San Diego resident and says Jim Lefebvre lives in San Diego and Henderson, where he has a business. They are still taking inventory and could update the complaint if other items are found to be missing, according to the suit.

Contact Dalton LaFerney at dlaferney@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0288. Follow @daltonlaferney on Twitter.