Suburban Chicago storage manager pleads guilty in theft of Walter Payton sports memorabilia

CHICAGO - A 55-year-old Indiana man has pleaded guilty earlier this year after prosecutors say he stole and sold sports memorabilia belonging to the estate of Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton.

What we know:

Heath Matlock, who managed a self-storage facility in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates, admitted to transporting the stolen memorabilia across state lines and selling it to a pawn shop in Hammond, Indiana, in 2021, according to a plea agreement.

Court records show the Payton estate’s memorabilia had been stored at the facility since at least January 2020, when Matlock was working as the property manager and had access to the units.

Prosecutors say Matlock took several items around May 2021, including the 1978 Pro Bowl Outstanding Player trophy, the 1987 Tom Landry Award, and a Madden Team Award trophy. He later contacted a pawn shop in Hammond to sell the items.

Federal law enforcement has since recovered all of the stolen items and is working to return them to Payton’s family.

Prosecutors say Matlock sold the items for about $75,000 after falsely claiming they were his. The memorabilia was later appraised at roughly $1.08 million.

Matlock used a portion of the proceeds to buy a 2017 Infiniti QX60.

What's next:

Matlock pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.

He faces a possible prison sentence of up to 10 years, though prosecutors are recommending probation as part of the plea agreement.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6.