Key witness in art heist trial sentenced for his role in theft ring
A federal judge sentenced a Dunmore man for his role in a high-profile theft ring that targeted art, sports memorabilia and other valuable items.
United States District Judge Malachy Mannion sentenced Thomas Trotta, 49, to eight years in prison, followed by a term of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $2,759,073 in restitution Thursday.
Prosecutors said he led nine people in the theft ring that spanned two decades and 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.
Items stolen locally included Jackson Pollock's 'Springs Winter' and Andy Warhol's 'La Grande Passion' from the Everhart Museum in Scranton; Factoryville native and baseball great Christy Mathewson's contracts and other memorabilia from Keystone College; a century-old Tiffany lamp from the Lackawanna Historical Society; and professional golfer Art Wall Jr.'s trophies from the Country Club of Scranton.
Last month, jurors found Nicholas Dombek, 54, of Thornhurst Twp., Damien Boland, 48, of Moscow, and Joseph Atsus, 48, of Roaring Brook Twp., guilty of conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property, as well as multiple related offenses. They await sentencing.
They found Atsus' brother Alfred Atsus, of Covington Twp., not guilty on all counts.
Three other Lackawanna County residents — Thomas Trotta's sister Dawn Trotta, Frank Tassiello and Ralph Parry — pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork and interstate transportation of stolen property. Mannion sentenced Dawn Trotta, 53, also of Dunmore, to 15 months in prison, Tassiello, 52, of Taylor, to six months' imprisonment, and Parry, 47, of Spring Brook Twp., to three years of probation and a period of home confinement earlier this year.
A fourth man, Daryl Rinker, of Thornhurst Twp., pleaded guilty but died in April 2024.
Authorities said the men transported the stolen items to Northeast Pennsylvania, often to Dombek's home, and melted them down into metal discs or bars. They then sold the raw metal to fences in the New York City area for hundreds or a few thousands of dollars, significantly less than the sports memorabilia would be worth at fair market value.
The whereabouts of many of the paintings and stolen objects are unknown.
Trotta, who appeared on an episode of '60 Minutes' about the art theft, pleaded guilty in July 2023 to a count of theft of major artwork and cooperated with the government in return for a reduced sentence.
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