For two decades, a crew member from Lackwavana County, Pennsylvania traveled to more than a dozen small museums nationwide, with its leaders smashing their art and precious souvenirs through security systems.
Their trophy includes precious heirlooms of the United States’ past, including Yogi Berra’s nine World Series rings, two middleweight Tony Zale’s championship belts, and 30 golf and horse racing trophysical trophys . Instead of selling souvenirs, they melted most of them into raw gold.
Three suspected ring theft were convicted in U.S. District Court on Friday for conspiring to steal major artworks.
The convictions were testimony of Thomas Trotta, the former leader of the group, who pleaded guilty and became a central witness to the trial of these people, ever since he was at North Pocono Middle School They have been his friends ever since. According to federal prosecutors, Mr. Trota broke into the museum, while others assisted him by planning robbery, melting stolen items or shipping them for sale in New York City.
Three defendants, Nicholas Dombek, Joseph Atsus and Damien Boland, were also convicted of concealing and disposing of major artworks and interstate traffic crimes. Their sentencing has not been arranged yet.
The fourth defendant, Alfred Atsus, was acquitted for all charges, and his brothers Joseph and Mr. Dombek were charged with several charges raised.
Investigators said in a statement that they had recovered two stolen antique guns, but that “the whereabouts of many other paintings and stolen objects are currently unknown.” In the missing work, Andy Andy Warhol stole silk screens from the Everhart Museum in Scranton in 2005.
Mr. Trota and three other accomplices who have pleaded guilty are also awaiting the verdict.
The defense argued that Mr. Trota’s lying was implicating these people as his accomplices. Matt Clemente, who represents Mr. Boland, told the jury that Mr. Trotta reached a “corruption agreement” with the prosecution.
After the verdict, Alfred Atsus, the client of Jason Mattioli, was acquitted, saying: “The only person who blamed my client is Trotta ) Sir, nothing can support it.”
In his testimony, Mr Trota told the court that he and his associates had investigated the museum to detect safety protocols and identify potential resort locations, and he would then break into tools such as an axe, a center punch or a grinder.
“It’s our 20 years of life,” Mr. Trota said from the booth. “It’s definitely a way of life.”
The Everhart Museum was one of their earliest targets, and Mr. Trotta said he hoped to steal Henri Matisse’s 1921 painting “Pink Shrimp” from his collection. But the museum sold it before they arrived, so they focused on Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock’s Andy Warhol Warhol and Springs Winter.
Mr Trota said the opportunity to break into the museum surfaced one night before when police were distracted by a fight broke out in a Scranton bar. Mr. Trota said at the time that he, Mr. Boland and Mr. Joseph Asus drove to the museum, where he smashed the back door of the museum with a ladder and grabbed the painting.
The Yogi Bella Museum and Learning Center in Small Falls, New Jersey, was stolen, and Mr. Trota, New Jersey testified that he and a cohort had barely escaped before police arrived, and later he brought the ring to Mr. Dobeck, who Preied the gem. Close, melting the ring in his garage. Mr. Trota said they earned about $2,000 from the gems and when they sold them to contacts in New York City, their metal was no more than $15,000.
Lindsay Berra, the granddaughter of Yogi Berra, said she was saddened by the loss of the ring despite being satisfied with the verdict.
Ms. Bella said: “I’ve been thinking about how meaningless all of these things are. “Even if the trial is closed, it will never make sense. ”
Tony Zale’s boxing belt was packed from the International Boxing Fame in Canastota, New York in 2015 and melted. His niece, Haley Zale, who tracked the case from the court, said those responsible were convicted but still regrettably heard Mr. Trota testify that the destruction of this long history The artifacts are used for scrap metals.
“The bondage will never be restored, and I will never see them again,” she said after the verdict. “It just consolidates the time to move on. The whole experience is heartbreaking.”
The crew’s downfall began in 2019 when state police in Pennsylvania pulled off the maroon Pontiac that was turning. Mr. Trota was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. In the car, police found bolt cutters, sledgehammers, headlights, ski masks, gloves and several cell phones. Investigators then tracked the DNA from a glass of water, which Mr. Trota drank from his detention and matched to that found in several thefts.
“I’m very sloppy,” he said at the trial.
Soon, Mr. Trota was working with law enforcement and wore a wire to talk to other people in the ring, including Mr. Dombeck, who lived in Mr. Trota’s as a teenager. At home and dated his sister Dawn. Mr. Trota said from the stands that Mr. Trota fished and hunted with the Asus brothers, and they were the godfathers of his children.
He testified, “I’m sure they don’t like me now.”
