SCRANTON — During the first day of a federal trial in which four Lackawanna County men stand accused of their roles in a high-profile theft ring targeting artwork, guns and sports memorabilia, both the prosecution and a defense attorney referenced a man who wasn’t in the room during their opening statements.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Buchanan provided jurors with a peek into the evidence he planned to present to them during the trial.
Buchanan indicated he would conclude his case with cooperating witnesses, including Thomas Trotta, expected to testify against Nicholas Dombek, Damien Boland, Alfred Atsus and his brother, Joseph Atsus, indicted for conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment or disposal of objects of cultural heritage and interstate transportation of stolen property.
All four have pleaded not guilty.
They’re accused of participating large heist ring that, over the course of two decades, stole millions of dollars worth of art, antique coins and firearms, World Series rings, golf trophies and more from museums, galleries, halls of fame, estates and jewelry stores in Pennsylvania, other states and Washington D.C.
Trotta, along with several others who have pleaded guilty in the case but have yet to be sentenced, often led the group’s operations, and was the person who often went into museums and other outlets and actually physically stole valuable items, according to court documents
When Defense Attorney Gino Bartolai, representing Nicholas Dombek, stood to make his opening statement, he agreed Trotta was involved in a string of thefts over nearly two decades, which involved others.
He alleged Trotta was the driving force behind the thefts, which took valuable pieces from museums and other entities, making them unavailable to the public for which they were intended.
“It’s about Thomas Trotta,” Bartolai said. “He’s a thief, a burglar and, I submit, a scoundrel.”
Four other Lackawanna County residents — Dawn Trotta, Frank Tassiello, Daryl Rinker and Ralph Parry — were charged for their respective roles in the case and pleaded guilty, in addition to Trotta. Rinker died in April at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. The other three await sentencing, in addition to Thomas Trotta.
After Buchanan and Bartolai presented their opening statement, Judge Malachy Mannion announced the lunch break. The afternoon session will include opening statements by defense attorneys for Joseph Atsus, Alfred Atsus and Boland.
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