For two decades, the crew from the Lackawanna district in Pennsylvania has traveled to a dozen small museums across the country, where its leader broke security systems to get rid of art and rare memorbal.
Their prey included Main heritage From the past of America, including nine World Series Yogi Berra, two Tony Zale championships and 30 golf and horse racing trophies. Instead of selling memorabilia, they melted a lot and sold them like raw metals.
On Friday, three men involved in theft were convicted of the US District Court in Scranton for a conspiracy for committing theft of the main works of art.
The conviction was followed by the testimony of the former leader of the group Thomas Trotta, who admitted guilty and became a central witness to the court of men who were his friends from his days to North Pocono Middle School. According to federal prosecutors, Mr. Trotta broke into museums, while other men helped him either plan robbery, melted stolen objects or transported them in New York.
Three defendants, Nicholas Dombek, Joseph Atsus and Damien Boland were also convicted of secrecy and liquidation of large works of art and international transport of stolen property. Their convictions were not planned.
The fourth defendant, Alfred Atsus, was liberated for all the accusations and his brother Joseph and Mr. Dombek were liberated from several numbers presented by the prosecution.
Investigators said in a statement that they have restored antique firearms that were stolen in two thefts, but “instead of many other paintings and stolen objects is currently unknown.” Everhart in Scranton.
Mr. Trotta and three other conspirators who have already confessed are also waiting for convictions.
The defense claimed that Mr. Trotta lied in the implication of men as his accomplice. Matt Clemente, who represents Mr. Boland, told the jury that Mr. Trotta had concluded a “corrupt agreement” with prosecution.
After the verdict, Jason Mattioli, whose client, Alfred Atsus, was liberated, he said, “The only one who pointed his finger at my client was Mr. Trotta, and there was nothing to support.”
In his testimony, Mr. Trotta said the courtroom that he and his accomplice had searched the museums to detect security protocols and identify the potential places of escape, and later break with instruments such as an ax, a center blow or a mill.
“That was our life for 20 years,” said Mr. Trotta from the stand. “It was absolutely a lifestyle.”
The Everhart Museum was one of their earliest goals, and Mr. Trotta said he hoped he would steal “pink shrimp”, a 1921 Henri Matiss image from his collection. However, the museum sold it before they arrived, Mr. Trotta said, so instead they focused on “Le Grande Passion” by Andy Warhol and “Springs Winter” attributed to Jackson Pollock.
Mr. Trotta said that the opportunity to penetrate the museum emerged two decades ago when the police were scattered by a fight that broke out at the bar in Scranton. At that moment, Mr. Trotta said that he, Mr. Boland and Joseph Atsus went to the museum, where he used a ladder to break the rear entrance to the museum and grabbed paintings.
The farts on the world series were stolen from the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in Little Falls, NJ Mr. Trott testified that he and accompliced barely escaped before the police arrived and later brought the rings to Mr. Dombek. Garage. Mr. Trotta said they received about $ 2,000 and no more than $ 15,000 of the metal when they sold them in New York.
Lindsay Berra, the granddaughter of Yogi Berry, said she was still happy with the verdict, she still felt grief over the loss of the ring.
“I’m still thinking about how nonsensical it was that all these things were melted and sold for pennies to the dollar,” said Mrs. Berra. “It will never make sense with this closure from the court.”
The boxing belts of Tony Zale, taken in 2015 from the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastot in New York, were also melted. His big niece, Haley Zale, who watched the case from the courtroom, said she was gratifying that they were convicted, but still sad to hear Mr. Trott testify to the destruction of such historical artifacts for metal scrap.
“It’s closing that the belts will never be restored, that I will never see them again,” she said after the verdict. “It just stiffened that it is time to move on.” The whole experience was heartbreaking. ”
Friday crew began in 2019, when the state police in Pennsylvania pulled out the chestnut Pontiac, which turned. Mr. Trotta was arrested and accused of proceedings under the influence. In the car, the police found cutters of screws, hammer, headlights, skiing, gloves and several phones. The investigators then traced the bottom of the cup of water, which Mr. Trotta drank in custody and assigned it to the DNA found on a few burglary.
“I was sloppy,” he said during the court.
Soon Mr. Trotta worked with coercive bodies and wore a wire to record interviews with others in the ring, including Mr. Dombek, who as a teenager lived in Mr. Trotty’s house and dated his sister Dawn. Mr. Trotta hunted and hunted with his brothers Atsus and they were the godfathers of his children, said Mr. Trotta from the stand.
“I’m sure they don’t like me now,” he said.