Earlier this week on the city’s South Side—an area known for gang violence and homicides—Special Agent Brian Brusokas and nearly 20 other FBI employees from the Bureau’s Chicago Field Office delivered 125 Louisville Slugger bats and dozens of baseballs to young players whose leagues are sponsored by the Chicago White Sox organization.

The equipment was seized during the Rogers fraud case, and after the forged signatures of Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Albert Pujols, and other famous players were chemically removed or blacked out, the bats and balls found a new home among youngsters who have embraced baseball as a way to stay out of trouble and to possibly earn a college scholarship.

“These kids are doing the right thing and trying to live the right path in life,” said Brusokas, who led the Rogers investigation as part of the FBI’s Art Crime Team. “We wanted to give them something that they needed.”

“If we took one of these bats and put it in the hands of one of these kids,” said FBI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Sallet, “could that bat make a difference for that kid?”

Sallet, who was on hand for the equipment donation and spoke to the players and coaches, explained that engaging with the community is fundamental to the FBI’s mission and to its success as an organization.