Trotta cross-examination wraps up in heist trial

Yahoo

29-01-2025

SCRANTON — Tommy Trotta testified Wednesday that law enforcement officers had a nickname for him while he was cooperating with them. They called him 'Danger.'
Trotta told defense attorney Gino Bartolai he suggested the name himself.
When Bartolai, representing Nicholas Dombek, addressed him by the name during questioning, though, Trotta quickly responded, 'My name is Tommy.'
The exchange was part of Trotta's cross-examination after he testified against four alleged co-conspirators earlier this week, providing a description of a ring of thieves which operated for nearly two decades
Trotta testified against Dombek, Damien Boland, and brothers Alfred and 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 pleaded not guilty and are on trial in U.S. District Court in Scranton.
Earlier this week, he testified for the prosecution that Dombek and others accompanied him to several museums and historical sites, including the Everhart Museum in Scranton, to 'case the joint' for future crimes.
Trotta has not yet been sentenced on a federal felony charge of theft of major artwork, for which he faces a 10-year maximum sentence.
When Bartolai asked if his cooperation with law enforcement and testimony against his friends was his '40 pieces of silver,' Trotta said: 'Ten years ain't no joke.'
'What you did was no joke,' Bartolai said.
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 Tommy Trotta. Rinker died in April.
They are awaiting sentencing.
'Nuking a Ring cam'
Matt Clemente, lawyer for ring suspect Damien Boland, cross-examined Trotta next, echoing Bartolai's questions regarding his motivation and character.
Clemente talked Trotta through a late January evening in 2024 which found Trotta out for an evening of partying.
Trotta testified he was drinking heavily at a Dunmore bar, with a woman he had just met.
The woman had a problem with her hip, so Trotta said he agreed to get her home safely.
When he got there, he took her inside and she passed out.
He had first intended just to be a gentleman, but he soon found himself going through the house to see what he could steal. He eventually gathered cash, gift cards and other items from the home.
But what Trotta hadn't expected was a Ring camera in the residence.
When he saw it, he panicked.
His solution was to retrieve it, put it in the microwave for a bit and put it back on the wall.
That charge ended him back in jail, having violated the terms of a previous release.
The case was eventually dropped after a payment of $7,500 to the victim.
Clemente asked Trotta if he was a professional thief.
Trotta responded, 'I don't know if I'm a professional, but I am a thief.'
Clemente continued, 'Are you also a liar?'
Trotta said, 'When you're a thief you're a liar.'
He and his friends even lied to wives and girlfriends about the source of their livelihood.
'This was our life for 20 years,' he said. 'It was absolutely a lifestyle.'
Taking children along while casing sites
Jason Mattioli, who represents accused ring member Alfred Atsus, began his cross-examination questioning Trotta about taking his niece and nephew to museums he planned to rob.
When asked if the children knew why the group was at the museum, Trotta said, 'They were only 2 and 3 at the time, real little.'
Trotta also admitted to taking his son out to a museum while 'casing' the site.
When Mattioli asked if he had any concerns about the mental health of the children, who now know why they were there, Trotta said, 'I had no intention of hurting anyone.'
Mattioli pointed out that it seemed again and again Trotta had seemed to be the recipient of leniency or not get found out, calling him 'Teflon Tom Trotta.'
Earlier in the week, Trotta testified that Alfred and Joseph Atsus kept stolen items, including the painting 'Springs Winter' by Jackson Pollock, at their New Jersey home.
Mattioli asked if Trotta had any other evidence the artwork was at the Atsus' home, besides his word. Trotta said he was telling the truth.
Defense attorney Patrick A. Casey, representing Joe Atsus, in his cross-examination, asked Trotta if he had lied even while cooperating with law enforcement after his DUI arrest in 2019.
Trotta said telling the truth was a part of the agreement, as was avoiding criminal activity.
Despite that promise, Casey pointed out, when released, he broke into the Atsus' New Jersey home and not only looked for items the group had stolen — which he agreed to return to police — but also stole additional items.
Trotta said he wanted to make it look like just an everyday break-in and had stolen additional items so the Atsuses wouldn't suspect him.
He admitted that, in an attempt to remove a safe from the residence, he had pulled a utility sink from the wall, causing water to spill onto the floor.
Trotta added, however, that he did shut off the water to that area of the house, as to not cause a flood.
The trial continues Thursday.