SCRANTON, Pa. — Three men were convicted Friday for their roles in a sprawling 20-year conspiracy to steal and traffic priceless artwork, sports memorabilia, and historical artifacts across multiple states, federal prosecutors announced.
Nicholas Dombek, 54, of Thornhurst, Damien Boland, 48, of Moscow, and Joseph Atsus, 48, of Roaring Brook were found guilty of conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property. The verdict followed a four-week jury trial before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, the trio was part of a nine-person criminal network that targeted museums and institutions for over two decades. The stolen items included rare paintings, championship rings, trophies, and antique firearms worth millions of dollars. Among the most significant thefts were:
- A Christy Mathewson jersey and signed contracts stolen from Keystone College in Pennsylvania in 1999.
- Andy Warhol’s “Le Grande Passion” and Jackson Pollock’s “Springs Winter”, taken from the Everhart Museum in Scranton in 2005.
- Yogi Berra’s World Series rings, MVP plaques, and championship rings, worth over $1 million, stolen from the Yogi Berra Museum in New Jersey in 2014.
- The Hickok Belt and MVP Trophy belonging to Roger Maris, taken from the Roger Maris Museum in North Dakota in 2016.
- $400,000 worth of gold nuggets from the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in New Jersey in 2011.
Authorities said the stolen items were transported to Pennsylvania, where Dombek and his co-conspirators would melt down memorabilia into metal discs or bars before selling them to fences in New York City, often for a fraction of their market value. To destroy evidence, Dombek burned Jasper Cropsey’s “Upper Hudson,” a painting valued at $500,000.
Five additional co-conspirators have pleaded guilty and await sentencing, while another defendant, Alfred Atsus, was acquitted. The whereabouts of many stolen items remain unknown, though some antique firearms were recovered by investigators.
