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SAN FRANCISCO – Federal prosecutors announced today that a San Francisco man has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for selling baseball bats he claimed had been used in major league games by All-Star shortstops Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra. 

Herbert Derungs, 32, pleaded guilty to six counts of mail and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to sell baseball bats on eBay between April and December 2001 that he claimed had been used by the two sluggers. He also admitted to fraudulently obtaining the bats from The Original Maple Bat Co. based in Ottawa by claiming to be Jeter and Garciaparra. 

In addition to the prison term imposed Monday, U.S. District Court Judge James Ware prohibited Derungs from coming within 1,000 feet of Pacific Bell Park upon his release in connection with a threatening e-mail he had sent to a ballpark employee. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Nadel said Derungs obtained 64 bats from The Original Maple Bat Co. and sold 22 of them for more than $23,000. 

Nadel, head of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office, said authorities are devoting more resources than ever to fighting high technology-related crime. 

Companies or individuals who believe they may be victims of high-tech crime are encouraged to contact Nadel at (408) 535-5035.