Lackawanna County Man Receives 48-Month Sentence for Art Theft Conspiracy

A man from Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy involving the theft and concealment of major artwork and other valuable items. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Joseph Atsus, 51, of Covington Township, was also ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution. The sentence follows a jury’s conviction of Atsus on four counts after a lengthy trial.

The jury found Atsus guilty of participating in a scheme that led to the theft of numerous significant items over several years, beginning as early as 1999 and continuing until 2014. These stolen artifacts include valuable artwork, antique firearms, and sports memorabilia. Among the art pieces targeted were Andy Warhol’s “Le Grande Passion” and “Springs Winter,” purportedly by Jackson Pollock, which were stolen in 2005 from the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Additionally, the conspiracy involved the theft of Jasper Crospey’s “Upper Hudson,” valued at approximately $120,000, from Ringwood Manor in Ringwood, New Jersey, in 2011.

Beyond artwork, the group also stole collections of antique firearms, with one theft in 2006 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum in Wantage, New Jersey, and another in 2011 from Ringwood Manor, also in New Jersey, with a combined value exceeding $150,000. The conspiracy extended to stealing sports memorabilia, including items belonging to baseball legend Christy Matthewson from Keystone College in Factoryville, Pennsylvania, in 1999, and golf trophies and memorabilia associated with Art Wall, Jr., from the Scranton Country Club in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, in 2011. Gold nuggets valued at over $100,000 were also taken from the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, New Jersey, in 2011. Perhaps most notably, nine World Series rings, seven championship rings, and two MVP plaques belonging to Yogi Berra were stolen in 2014 from the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in Little Falls, New Jersey.

Atsus was part of an eight-person conspiracy. His co-defendants, Nicholas Dombek, 55, of Thornhurst, Pennsylvania, and Damien Boland, 50, of Covington Township, Pennsylvania, were also convicted of conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property, along with related offenses. Boland has already received a sentence of 108 months imprisonment, while Dombek is awaiting his sentencing.

Several other individuals involved in the conspiracy pleaded guilty and have been sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion. Thomas Trotta, 50, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, received a 96-month sentence for theft of major artwork. Dawn Trotta, 53, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 15 months for conspiracy, concealment, disposal, and interstate transportation of stolen property. Frank Tassiello, 52, of Taylor, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to six months for similar charges. Ralph Parry, 47, of Springbrook Township, Pennsylvania, received three years of probation with a period of home confinement for his involvement in the conspiracy.

The method employed by the conspirators often involved transporting the stolen items back to Northeastern Pennsylvania, frequently to Nicholas Dombek’s residence. There, they would melt down valuable memorabilia into metal discs or bars to make them easier to conceal and sell. These raw metals were then sold to intermediaries in the New York City area for significantly less than their market value, yielding only hundreds or a few thousand dollars. In an effort to prevent evidence from being recovered, co-conspirator Nicholas Dombek reportedly destroyed the painting “Upper Hudson” by burning it. While the whereabouts of many of the stolen items remain unknown, investigators were able to recover several antique firearms stolen from museums in New Jersey.

The investigation into this extensive conspiracy was a collaborative effort involving numerous law enforcement agencies across the country, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, New Jersey State Police, and many others. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys James M. Buchanan and Jenny Roberts.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania

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