Jury selection began Monday in the federal trial of four Lackawanna County men charged for their alleged roles in a high-profile theft ring targeting artwork, sports memorabilia, antiques and other valuables.
The trial follows the 2023 indictments of Nicholas Dombek of Thornhurst Twp., Damien Boland of Moscow, Alfred Atsus of Covington Twp. and his brother, Joseph Atsus of Roaring Brook Twp. A federal grand jury indicted those men on counts including conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment or disposal of objects of cultural heritage and interstate transportation of stolen property, though they’ve all pleaded not guilty.
They’re accused of participating in a broader 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.
Five other Lackawanna County residents — siblings Thomas and Dawn Trotta, Frank Tassiello, Daryl Rinker and Ralph Parry — were charged through a criminal information for their respective roles in the illicit operation and have pleaded guilty. They were identified in the original indictment simply as numbered conspirators, not by name.
Rinker died in April at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Hospital. The other four await sentencing.
Among many other examples of crimes the indictment attributes to the broader cohort, Alfred Atsus, Boland, Thomas Trotta, Joseph Atsus and Dawn Trotta were all accused of participating in the November 2005 thefts of Jackson Pollock’s “Springs Winter” and Andy Warhol’s “La Grande Passion” from the Everhart Museum in Scranton.
While Joseph Atsus and Boland waited outside, Thomas Trotta used a ladder to smash exterior and interior doors, enter the museum and steal the artwork, which was taken to Dawn Trotta’s residence and later to a residence the Atsus brothers owned in Union, New Jersey, the indictment notes.
Thomas Trotta, Joseph Atsus and Alfred Atsus were also accused of participating in the August 1999 thefts of Factoryville native and baseball great Christy Mathewson’s contracts and other memorabilia from Keystone College. The stolen items included a 1906 Spalding baseball jersey and Mathewson’s 1902 and 1916 contracts with the New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds, respectively.
The indictment alleges that Trotta and Joseph Atsus drove to Keystone, where Trotta broke into display cases and removed the memorabilia. Joseph Atsus stored the items at his grandmother’s house in Pennsylvania before moving them to a residence he and Alfred Atsus owned in Union, New Jersey, per the indictment. Whether it was the same residence they’re accused of later using to conceal the aforementioned artwork is unclear.
Other high-value items stolen locally include a century-old Tiffany lamp from the Lackawanna Historical Society in 2010 and professional golfer Art Wall Jr.’s trophies from the Country Club of Scranton in 2011. A Honesdale native, Wall Jr. won 14 PGA Tour titles during his career.
Per the indictment, Boland drove Thomas Trotta to the country club’s clubhouse about March 10, 2011, with Trotta breaking in and removing trophies, including several awarded to Wall Jr. The trophies were then taken to Dawn Trotta’s residence. Thomas Trotta later took his share of the trophies to Dombek’s residence, where they were melted down into silver pucks that were sold in New York City for approximately $6,000. Joseph Atsus received a share of the proceeds, prosecutors allege.
Stolen items from other states include: Yankees catcher Yogi Berra’s nine World Series, seven Championship and other rings; baseball slugger Roger Maris’ MVP trophy; 120-year-old horse racing trophies; a Fabergé silver punch bowl, stand and ladle worth about $150,000; 19th century firearms, including a “Tiger Gun” worth about $250,000; and “Upper Hudson,” the 1871 oil-on-canvas by renowned landscape artist Jasper Francis Cropsey, valued at $500,000.
Many stolen items that contained precious metals were melted down and sold for pennies on the dollar. Others are still missing.
The trial of Dombek, Boland and the Atsus brothers at the federal courthouse in Scranton could last for several weeks or more. U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion set trial dates through January, a criminal docket shows.
Mannion denied in December a joint motion by the defendants to dismiss the criminal charges.