For two decades, a staff from Lakwana County, Pennsylvania, traveled to a dozen small museums across the country, where her rebellious broke them through a security system to snatch them from art and valuable memories.
His looting included precious heritage of the United States, including nine colors of the Yogi Beera World Series, two of the Middle Weight Tony Zail’s championship belt and 30 golf and Horse Racing Trophy. Instead of selling memoirs, he melted most of it and sold it as raw metals.
On Friday, three people in the theft ring were convicted in the US district court in Scripton for plotting for theft of major art.
Following these sentences, the former Rangi Ladder of the group, Thomas Trota, was testified, who appealed to the culprit and became the main witnesses in the men’s case, who had been his friend at the North Pokono Middle School from his own days. According to federal prosecutors, Mr Trita entered the museum, while others helped them to plan robberies, melt the stolen items or sell them to New York City.
The three defendants, Nicholas Dombick, Joseph Utsos and Damine Boland were also declared an internationally transported transport of large artists and waste and stolen property. His sentence has not been scheduled.
A fourth defendant, Alfred Utsos, was acquitted on all the charges, and his brother, Joseph and Mr. Dombick were acquitted on several counts presented by the prosecution.
Investigators said in a statement that they had recovered antiques’ firearms that were stolen in two thefts, but “many other paintings and stolen items are not known at this time.” Missing works are a silk screen of Andy Warhol in 2005 from Scrattan’s Everatt Museum in 2005.
Mr Trata and three other co -conspirators who have already accepted the culprit are also waiting for the punishment.
Defense argued that Mr Trota lied to adding men as his colleagues. Matt Clemen, a representative of Mr Bowland, told the jury that Mr Trota had made a “corrupt contract” with the prosecution.
After the verdict, Jason Matoli, whose client, was acquitted by Alfred Utsos, said, “The only one who pointed to my finger on my client was Mr Traita, and there was nothing to back. “”
In his testimony, Mr Tracta told the court that he and his colleagues surveyed to detect a security protocol to monitor the museum and identify potential locations that are possible, and then that ax, center Will be broken with tools like a punch or grinder.
“It was our life for 20 years,” Mr Trota told Stand. “It was a lifestyle.”
The Everat Museum was one of his early goals, and Mr Tracta said he hoped to steal “pink crabs” from Henry Mattis’ collection in 1921. Mr Trota said, but the museum sold it before arriving, so he focused on “Li Grande Josh” by Jackson Polk and “Springs Winter”.
Mr Trata said the opportunity to enter the museum came up two decades ago when police had a break in Scripton. Mr Tracta said on the occasion that he, Mr. Boland and Joseph went to the Utsos Museum, where he used a ladder to break the back door of the museum and capture the paintings.
World series circles were stolen from Little Falls’ Yogi Beera Museum and Learning Center, NJ Mr. Trota testified that he and a colleague barely escaped before the police arrived and later brought a ring to Mr Dombek. , Who prepared for gems. The rings melted in the off and its garage. Mr Tracta said that when he sold in a contact in New York City, he received more than $ 2,000 from jewelry and more than $ 15,000, from metal.
Yogi Beera’s granddaughter, Lindsay Beera, said that although she was happy with the decision, she still feels grief over the waste of the rings.
Ms Beera said, “I keep thinking about how unconscious it was that all these things were melted and dollars were sold for money.” “Because of this, the trial will never make sense despite this closure.”
Tony’s Boxing Belt, which was taken from the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Kinsetota, New York, in 2015, was also melted. His large breast, Haley Zail, who traced the case from the courtroom, said it was pleasant that the perpetrators were convicted, but still Mr. Trata was given such historical samples for scrap metal. It is regrettable to testify to destroy it.
He said after the decision, “It is closed that the belts will never be recovered, that I will never see them again.” “He just strengthened that it was time to move forward. The whole experience was heartbreaking.
The fall of the staff began in 2019 when the state police in Pennsylvania pulled a Marvin Pontiak that was bursting. Mr Tracta was arrested and accused of driving under influence. In the car, the police got a bolt cutter, a solid hammer, head lamp, skimmer mask, gloves and several phones. Investigators then searched a cup of DNA with water, Mr Trota drank while custody and mixed with DNA found in several thefts.
“I got sloppy,” he said during the trial.
Soon, Mr Tata was cooperating with law enforcement agencies and was wearing a wire to record conversation with others in color, including Mr. Dombic, who, as a teenage, Mr. Trota. He lived in the house and told her sister, Dawn’s history. Mr Tracta told the stand, Mr Tracta had hunted by putting fish with the Ets Brothers and he was the gods of his children.
He testified, “I am sure they don’t like me anymore.”
