They wore disguises and hid in plain sight.
For more than 20 years, it worked.
Eight men and a woman from Lackawanna County believed responsible for a decadeslong crime spree across the United States carefully surveilled their targets to better their chances to steal.
One masked his identity as a Hasidic man in an aborted diamond heist in Massachusetts. Another posed as a prospective member of a private South Abington Twp. country club to survey silver trophies. And another as a firefighter with an axe to steal baseball memorabilia from a North Dakota museum.
Millions of dollars in World Series rings, golf trophies, boxing belts, paintings, jewelry, antique coins and guns, and much more stolen from 18 museums, halls of fame, estates, galleries and jewelry stores in Massachusetts, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. One museum was brazenly broken into twice.
Much of the stolen goods were melted down and sold for pennies on the dollar in New York City and elsewhere; others, were sold intact or hidden away and still missing.
The break-ins shocked local communities and ignited enduring whodunnits: the 1999 burglary at Keystone College, the 2005 break-in of the Everhart Museum and the 2011 theft from the Country Club at Scranton.
It was all a mystery. Until Thursday, when U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam strode into the jury assembly room at the William J. Nealon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse to announce charges against the nine.
“The defendants conspired, surveilled and broke into museums, halls of fame, businesses, and other places in order to steal artwork, priceless memorabilia, jewelry, and other items of significant value,” Karam said. “Items treasured not only by the owners, but by those who appreciate artwork in sports across our country.”
Karam announced indictments Thursday against:
—Nicholas Dombek, 53, of Thornhurst Twp.
—Damien Boland, 47, of Moscow.
—Alfred Atsus, 47, of Covington Twp.
—Joseph Atsus, 48, of Roaring Brook Twp.
A federal grand indicted on counts including conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment or disposal of objects of cultural heritage, and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Five others are charged through a criminal information, meaning they have agreed to a plea deal, for the same conspiracy. They are:
—Thomas Trotta, 48, of Moscow.
—Frank Tassiello, 50, of Scranton.
—Daryl Rinker, 50, of Thornhurst.
—Dawn Trotta, 51, of Covington Twp.
—Ralph Parry, 45, of Covington Twp.
Eight of nine people are accounted for, authorities said. Dombek is at large and sought as a fugitive, Karam said.
Stolen items from other states include: Yankees catcher Yogi Berra’s nine World Series, seven Championship and other rings; 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.
Stolen goods locally were: Jackson Pollock’s “Winter in Springs;” Andy Warhol’s “La Grande Passion;” Factoryville native and baseball great Christy Mathewson’s jersey and two signed contracts; golfer Art Wall Jr.’s trophies; a Tiffany lamp; antique coins; and jewelry.
The Pollack and Warhol, stolen from the Everhart, and the Mathewson memorabilia, stolen from Keystone College, are still missing. Representatives from those institutions said they hope the stolen objects still exist.
“The college is very pleased at news of these indictments,” said attorney James Scanlon, general counsel at Keystone College. “These are irreplaceable artifacts for the Factoryville community and the entire community at Keystone.”
Yogi Berra’s rings and Wall’s trophies, are believed to have been melted down for the metal and sold for a mere fraction of their actual value — like much of items that contained precious metals and gemstones.
“It didn’t surprise me,” said Greg Wall, Art Wall Jr.’s son, on the believed destruction of his father’s trophies. “It seemed to be obvious that’s what happened.”
Before the March 10, 2011, break-in at the Scranton Country Club, Joseph Atsus posed as a prospective member. In truth, this was no social call, according to an indictment.
He took note of valuables, and security measures so he, Boland and Trotta — identified as “Conspirator 1” in the indictment— could form a plan to steal them.
Joseph Atsus and Trotta attended an event at Keystone College prior the to 1999 theft of Mathewson’s jersey and contracts, Karam said.
Dombek, Alfred Atsus, Boland and Trotta made several visits to the Everhart in the run-up to the Nov. 18, 2005 burglary, according to the indictment.
At some point, the Mathewson memorabilia and the Everhart artwork ended up at a home the Atsus brothers own in Union, New Jersey. Where they are now is unknown. After the Everhart burglary, Boland, the Atsus brothers and Trotta used a public payphone to call a hotline seeking a reward for the stolen artwork.
The burglary ring continued until 2019, when law enforcement began to unravel the conspiracy using forensic evidence.
“As the indictment unsealed (Thursday) morning clearly shows, the FBI and our partners will never stop working until brazen thieves such as those charged here are brought to justice,” said Gabriel Poling, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia office.
Boland is in Lackawanna County Prison and Thomas Trotta is in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility. The others are free pending further proceedings.
Those who agreed to plead guilty are scheduled to appear in federal court to enter their pleas June 30, court records show.
Boland and Joseph and Alfred Atsus have pleaded not guilty.
Attorney Tammy Lee Clause of Newfoundland, who represents Dombek — her brother — said she did not know his whereabouts. She issued a statement saying he is wrongfully charged and predicted he would be vindicated. She called him a “humble, kind and loving man” cast under the shadow of “wrongful criminal implication.”
“We are confident Nick will be cleared of all charges,” she said. “We believe our brother, father, son, and friend is a victim of false accusations and malicious prosecution. We are committed to doing everything in our power to shine light on the real truth of these allegations.”
Attorney Christopher Opiel, who represents Tassiello, and attorney Joseph D’Andrea, who represents Thomas and Dawn Trotta, declined to comment.
Attorney Matthew Clemente, who represents Boland, said in an emailed statement Thursday: “The indictment was just unsealed today. There is a process that needs to play out. As a result, it would not be prudent to comment at this early stage.”
Attempts were unsuccessful to reach: attorney Patrick Casey, who represents the Atsus brothers; attorney Leo Latella, who represents Parry; and attorney Christopher Caputo, who represents Rinker.
The Atsus brothers and Thomas Trotta appeared Thursday in federal court in Wilkes-Barre for their initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph F. Saporito Jr.
Saporito released Alfred and Joseph Atsus following the hearing, restricting their travel to the Middle District of Pennsylvania unless they get court approval.
The judge also approved Trotta’s release, which could come this week.
Jim Lockwood and Bob Kalinowski, staff writers, contributed to this report.