Trekkie Sues Christie's Over Alleged Fake 'Data' Visor
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Written By Rick Ellis, Friday, December 28th, 2007

A New Jersey fan of "Star Trek" is suing Christie's auction house for allegedly selling him a fake Commander Data visor and uniform.

Moustakis, 46, spent $11,400 for one of actor Brent Spiner's uniforms, $6,600 for a poker table and another $6,000 for a visor worn in a season finale."They were going to go on display in my home," the father of six told the NY Daily News.

The collectibles were among 1,000 pieces of "Star Trek" history from the CBS Paramount archives that were auctioned off at Christie's in October last year, part of a 40th anniversary celebration of the landmark show.

But when Moustakis showed the merchandise to Spiner at a Star Trek convention in Las Vegas, the actor told him the merchandise was fake. "He said he had told Christie's not to sell it," Moustakis said. The table also turned out to be a fraud, and now he said he's wondering about the uniform, as well.

In his lawsuit, Moustakis claims that Christie's and CBS Paramount Television knew that some of the Star Trek items he purchased were not authentic.

A spokesperson for CBS Paramount said in a statement that the company could not comment because they had not been served with the lawsuit.

"I don't know if Christie's believes Star Trek fans are second-class citizens, but if you're buying a $10,000 uniform or Star Trek memorabilia, you're held to a different standard if you're buying a $100,000 painting," Moustakis said. "But obviously something went very wrong here."