Draft:Sam Favata

• Comment: It seems likely that he is notable, at minimum for his athletic accomplishments if not for the crime. However, because this is a biography of a living person and contains naturally contentious material, it needs inline citations; see the links above for details on how to do that. (More secondary sources—e.g., newspaper articles—would also be good to have.) LittlePuppers (talk) 19:59, 4 August 2026 (UTC)

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Salvatore "Sam" Favata (born 1959) is an American former college baseball player and mortgage broker. As a second baseman for the California State University, Fullerton, he was a two-time All-American and member of the school's 1979 College World Series championship team and set a national NCAA batting average record that stood for 16 years. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977 and the Milwaukee Brewers in 1980, and played several seasons of minor league baseball before a near-fatal beaning ended his playing career.

Favata later founded National Consumer Mortgage (NCM), an Orange County, California mortgage brokerage. In 2006, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission charged him with running a Ponzi scheme through NCM that raised more than $30 million from over 200 investors. He pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud and served 3 years in federal prison.

Early Life

Favata spent part of his childhood in Tampa, Florida, before his family relocated to California. His father, Joe Favata, had once worked running numbers for Tampa organized-crime figure Santo Trafficante Jr. before leaving that life behind for the sake of his family. Favata has said his father introduced him to horse racing as a boy while also warning him away from gambling.

Favata attended Edgewood High School in West Covina, California, where he was a standout baseball recruit. He was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 18th round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft, but opted to attend college instead.

College Career

Favata enrolled at California State University, Fullerton, choosing the Titans over offers from programs such as Arizona State and USC. Playing second base for head coach Augie Garrido, Favata was part of the 1979 Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball team, which went 60-14-1 and won the program's first College World Series title, defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks in the championship game. Favata scored the winning run in the deciding contest.

During the 1979 season, Favata batted .418, a mark that then stood as an NCAA Division I record, while also leading the nation in hits (116) and finishing second in stolen bases (66). His batting-average record stood for 16 years until it was broken by future major leaguer Mark Kotsay. Favata was named two-time All-American at Fullerton and earned All-Southern California Baseball Association honors.

Following his junior season, Favata was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 13th round of the 1980 Major League Baseball draft.

Minor League Career and Beaning

Favata began his professional career in 1980 with the Burlington Bees of the Midwest League, batting .263 with 43 stolen bases in 80 games. In 1981, he moved up to the Stockton Ports of the California League, the Brewers' Class-A affiliate.

In the summer of 1981, Favata was struck in the head by a 87 mph pitch during a game in Modesto, California. The injury caused three brain bleeds and required emergency surgery. Doctors were uncertain whether he would survive or ever play baseball again. Favata underwent physical and occupational therapy before returning to play for Stockton nine months later at the same field where he had been injured. Due to the risk of a second head injury, the Ports used him primarily as a pinch runner and part-time outfielder rather than an everyday second baseman. Favata played a partial 1982 season before retiring from professional baseball at age 22.

Across three minor league seasons, Favata batted .258 with 9 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 94 stolen bases in 190 games, according to Baseball-Reference.

Post-baseball career

After retiring from baseball, Favata worked as a scout for the Brewers beginning in 1983 and later coached, including as a baseball academy started by his former college coach, Augie Garrido, and at his alma mater, Edgewood High School. He subsequently moved into the mortgage industry, eventually founding National Consumer Mortgage, LLC (NCM) in 2000.

Securities fraud and imprisonment

On October 6, 2006, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil securities-fraud action against Favata in the U.S. District Court for Central District of California, alleging that from 2001 through 2006 he operated a Ponzi scheme through NCM that raued more than $30 million from over 200 investors by promising annual returns of 30 to 60 percent. According to the SEC's litigation release, investor funds were instead used to cover Favata's gambling debts, which exceed $10 million, along with personal expenses including leased luxury vehicles and house parties. Favata consented to a permanent injunction against future securities-law violations and to a bar from associating with any broker or dealer.

The same day, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California filed an information charging Favata with one count of mail fraud. Represented by attorney (and later Los Angeles County District Attorney) Nathan Hochman, Favata pleaded guilty. U.S. District Judge Andrew Guilford ordered him to pay restitution to victims, some of whom lost as much as $3 million, at a rate of $10,000 per month.

Favata served 33 months at the Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc, followed by six months in a halfway house. He was released on September 7, 2010, and later returned to federal custody after violating the terms of his probation, which was subsequently extended. Favata has said he repaid roughly half of the $32 million owed, through proceeds of an NCM bond and testimony he gave in litigation involving the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

References

1. Dorson, Jill R. "Baseball, Beaning, Betting: An Athlete's Tale Of Rise, Recovery, And Redemption." InGame, January 6, 2026.
2. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. "Salvatore Favata (aka Sam Favata), Litigation Release No. 19861." October 10, 2006.
3. "Sam Favata, Minor League Statistics." Baseball-Reference.com.
4. Favata player page. The Baseball Cube.