A burglary ring that stole millions of dollars in prized works of art and some of America’s most prized sports memorabilia in a 20-year criminal scheme has finally been caught, officials say.
Nine people from rural Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania have been accused of stealing priceless collectibles, paintings and other valuables, including an Andy Warhol silkscreen, a Jackson Pollock painting and up to 20 World Series rings.
The suspects, eight men and one woman, allegedly managed to elude police when they broke into museums and institutions in six states between 1999 and 2019, according to the US Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The Justice Department announced the indictment last month, nearly 20 years after thieves broke into Pennsylvania’s Everhart Museum and stole Warhol’s $15,000 “La Grande Passion” and Pollock’s $11 million “Springs Winter.” had stolen.
The suspected criminal gang melted down some of the stolen rings and even set fire to one of the rare paintings to avoid detection.
A burglar ring that stole millions of dollars worth of some of America’s most prized memorabilia has been caught. The ring stole a fortune in items from the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in New Jersey in 2014, including nine World Series rings. (Berra is pictured)
Nicholas Dombek, 53, was considering poisoning one of his alleged accomplices when police approached him
According to police, Dombek burned the late American artist Jasper Cropsey’s “Upper Hudson” landscape worth about $500,000 to prevent investigators from using it as evidence
They then sold the melted items for hundreds of thousands of dollars – significantly less than they would have been worth in their original form.
Authorities named the suspects Nicholas Dombek, 53, Damien Boland, 47, Alfred Atsus, 47, Joseph Atsus, 48, Thomas Trotta, 48, Frank Tassiello, 50, Daryl Rinker, 50, Dawn Trotta ( 51) and Ralph Parry (45). .
According to police, Dombek burned the late American artist Jasper Cropsey’s “Upper Hudson” landscape worth about $500,000 to prevent investigators from using it as evidence. The artwork was acquired from Ringwood Manor in Ringwood, New Jersey in 2011.
The gang are also believed to have stolen a fortune’s worth of merchandise from the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in New Jersey in 2014.
According to officials, they won nine World Series rings, seven other championship rings and two Most Valuable Player (MVP) plaques presented to the late Yankees catcher Berra.
Other valuables stolen from the ring include six championship belts given to the late American boxers Carmen Basilio and Tony Zale, which were stolen from the International Boxing Hall of Fame in upstate New York in 2015.
The thieves also allegedly stole an MVP trophy awarded to former baseball player Roger Maris, a US amateur trophy won by golf star Ben Hogan, and the 1903 Belmont Stakes Trophy.
The stolen goods also include an antique shotgun, gold nuggets, a Tiffany lamp and other jewelry.
After stealing the items, the ring took the valuables to Dombek’s home in Pennsylvania, where they melted them down to sell the pieces to people in New York City, according to police. Other items would be sold as is or hidden.
Dombek, believed to be the leader of the operation, reportedly resorted to intimidation when authorities closed in.
The gang broke into the Everhart Museum in Pennsylvania and stole about $15,000 worth of Warhol’s “La Grande Passion” and about $11 million worth of Pollock’s “Springs Winter.”
The thieves also allegedly stole an MVP trophy awarded to former baseball player Roger Maris, as well as the 1903 Belmont Stakes Trophy (another Belmont trophy pictured above).
Police were alerted to the massive theft case after one of the suspects, Trotta, was arrested for drunk driving and began cooperating with authorities.
Trotta even worked with police to return some of the stolen items, including a portrait of art critic Daniel Cusick’s wife taken at his home in 2019.
He wore a recording device as he and Dombek discussed the robberies they got away with – and also potential police whistleblowers. Dombek reportedly considered poisoning one of the defendants with a poisonous plant.
Dombek is the only suspect still at large.
The gang is accused of conspiring to steal major works of art, concealing or disposing of cultural property, and transporting stolen property across states.
Ralph Parry, Francesco Tassiello and Daryl Rinker have already pleaded guilty to the charges against them. Parry and Tassiello worked as drivers on the criminal operation, according to the indictment.
Two of the suspects, including Trotta, will have hearings on Wednesday, with three others due to appear in court later this year.
has contacted the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for more details.
STOLEN VALUABLES
– A Christy Mathewson jersey and two contracts signed by Mathewson, stolen from Keystone College in Factoryville, Pennsylvania in 1999;
– “Le Grande Passion” by Andy Warhol and “Springs Winter” by Jackson Pollock, stolen from the Everhart Museum, Scranton, Pennsylvania in 2005;
– Nine (9) World Series rings, seven (7) additional championship rings and two (2) MVP plaques for Yogi Berra valued at over $1,000,000, stolen from the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in 2014 , Little Falls, NJ;
– Six (6) championship belts, including four to Carmen Basilio and two to Tony Zale, stolen from the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Canastota, New York in 2015;
– The Hickok belt and MVP trophy awarded to Roger Maris, stolen in 2016 from the Roger Maris Museum, Fargo, North Dakota;
– The US Amateur Trophy and a Hickok belt awarded to Ben Hogan, stolen in 2012 from the USGA Golf Museum & Library, Liberty Corner, New Jersey;
– Fourteen (14) trophies and other awards valued at over US$300,000 stolen from the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, Goshen, New York in 2012;
– Five (5) trophies valued at over US$400,000 including the 1903 Belmont Stakes Trophy stolen from the National Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, Saratoga Springs, New York in 2013;
– Eleven (11) trophies, including four to Art Wall, Jr., stolen in 2011 from Scranton Country Club, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania;
– Three antique firearms totaling $1,000,000 were stolen from Space Farms in 2006: Zoo & Museum, Wantage, New Jersey;
-A 1903/1904 Tiffany lamp stolen from the Lackawanna Historical Society, Scranton, Pennsylvania in 2010.
– “Upper Hudson” by Jasper Cropsey valued at approximately $500,000 and two antique firearms valued at over $300,000 stolen from Ringwood Manor, Ringwood, New Jersey in 2011;
– $400,000 worth of gold nuggets stolen from the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, New Jersey in 2011;
-Various gemstones, minerals and other items stolen from the Franklin Mineral Museum, Franklin, New Jersey in 2017;
– An antique shotgun valued at over $30,000 stolen from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum, Wantage, New Jersey in 2018;
-Various jewelry and other items from several antique and jewelry stores in New York, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.