SCRANTON, Pa. — UPDATE:
The Lackawanna Historical Society remembers July 2, 2010, like it was yesterday.
The day their 1903 Tiffany lamp was stolen, after thieves broke into a back window at three in the morning.
"Over in the corner, there was a desk with the Tiffany lamp on it, so they grabbed that lamp and went out the front door within 11 minutes of the alarm going off and the police getting her. It was obvious they knew what they were doing and what they were taking," said Mary Ann Moran Savakinus, Lackawanna Historical Society.
Another Tiffany-style lamp was damaged during the burglary.
Federal authorities say the thieves included several people indicted in a theft ring that hit museums and galleries across the country, selling the items to make a quick buck.
Court paperwork says the Tiffany lamp was sold for $6,300.
"The last appraisal I had on it was $15,000, so $6,300 is just not what it was worth," Savakinus said.
That Tiffany lamp had deep ties to the city of Scranton, a prized piece staff showed off on tours.
"The lamp was from the first Presbyterian church of Scranton, so it was one of earliest pieces in our collection that represents the people of the city that started out here," Savakinus explained.
The Everhart Museum was also among the places targeted back in 2005.
Staff at the museum say the suspects broke into a back door, making their way to the second-floor gallery, snatching a Jackson Pollock and an Andy Warhol painting off the wall.
"It rattles you that you're trying to do something in good faith, things to preserve this for future generations to see, and we run into somebody who has the absolute opposite mission that we do," said Michael Wisneski of The Everhart Museum.
After Thursday's news conference, many Lackawanna County galleries and museums learned they weren't alone in losing irreplaceable items.
"I don't think personally we made any connections, some of them were more high profile than others. I was not even aware of all of the ones in Lackawanna County," added Wisneski.
Original story:
Nine people from Lackawanna County face federal charges after stealing art and memorabilia from museums and other institutions in multiple states.
Investigators said those heists happened over the last 20 years, some in Lackawanna County, during a news conference in Scranton on Thursday.
"As the indictment unsealed this morning clearly shows, the FBI and our partners will never stop working until brazen thieves such as these charged here are brought to justice," said Gabriel Poling, FBI.
The group allegedly stole items from 20 museums and other places across New Jersey, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania, including several in Scranton, like the Everhart Museum and the Lackawanna County Historical Society.
"Items treasured not only by those who owned them but appreciated artwork and sports across our country," said Gerard Karam, U.S. Attorney.
In Lackawanna County, several spots were targeted, including the Scranton Country Club in 2011.
Thieves left with 11 trophies, four of those awarded to Art Wall Jr.
The Everhart Museum in scranton in 2005 when Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock paintings were stolen.
"The Warhol was an extremely valuable piece, and the Pollock was just so special unto itself, so the loss of any piece of art in a museum is a terrible loss for our community," said Charles Barber, Everhart Museum Interim CEO.
The indictment alleges after stealing the items, the thieves would transport them back to northeastern Pennsylvania to one of the suspect's homes, where they would melt the items down into metal disks or bricks, so the raw metals could be sold in New York for hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Some of those items destroyed include boxer Tony Zale's championship belts from the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
"It's impossible to think they would have melted down something that is so historic, they are invaluable to our family. I'm sure they didn't get much out of them," said Ted Zale, nephew of Tony Zale.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that the following suspects were indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment or disposal of objects of cultural heritage, and interstate transportation of stolen property:
- Nicholas Dombek, 53, of Thornhurst
- Damien Boland, 47, of Moscow
- Alfred Atsus, 47, of Covington Township
- Joseph Atsus, 48, of Roaring Brook
Five other individuals were charged with the same conspiracy:
- Thomas Trotta, 48, of Moscow
- Frank Tassiello, 50, of Scranton
- Daryl Rinker, 50, of Thornhurst
- Dawn Trotta, 51, of Covington Township
- Ralph Parry, 45, of Covington Township
Eight of the nine suspects have turned themselves in, but Investigators say one suspect, 53-year-old Nicholas Dombek, is still on the run.
Some of the items stolen include:
- A Christy Mathewson jersey and two contracts signed by Mathewson were stolen in 1999 from Keystone College in Factoryville, Pennsylvania
- “Le Grande Passion” by Andy Warhol and “Springs Winter” by Jackson Pollock were stolen in 2005 from the Everhart Museum, Scranton, Pennsylvania
- Nine World Series rings, seven other championship rings, and two MVP plaques awarded to Yogi Berra, worth over $1,000,000, stolen in 2014 from the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center, Little Falls, New Jersey
- Six championship belts, including four awarded to Carmen Basilio and two awarded to Tony Zale stolen in 2015 from the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Canastota, New York
- The Hickok Belt and MVP Trophy awarded to Roger Maris, stolen in 2016 from the Roger Maris Museum, Fargo, North Dakota
- The U.S. Amateur Trophy and a Hickok Belt awarded to Ben Hogan, stolen in 2012 from the USGA Golf Museum & Library, Liberty Corner, New Jersey
- Fourteen trophies and other awards worth over $300,000 stolen in 2012 from the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, Goshen, New York
- Five (5) trophies worth over $400,000, including the 1903 Belmont Stakes Trophy, stolen in 2013 from the National Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, Saratoga Springs, New York
- Eleven (11) trophies, including 4 awarded to Art Wall, Jr., stolen in 2011 from the Scranton Country Club, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
- Three antique firearms worth a combined $1,000,000, stolen in 2006 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum, Wantage, New Jersey
- A 1903/1904 Tiffany Lamp, stolen in 2010 from the Lackawanna Historical Society, Scranton, Pennsylvania
- “Upper Hudson” by Jasper Cropsey, worth approximately $500,000, and two antique firearms worth over $300,000, stolen in 2011 from Ringwood Manor, Ringwood, New Jersey
- $400,000 worth of gold nuggets, stolen in 2011 from the Sterling Hill Mining Museum, Ogdensburg, New Jersey
- Various gems, minerals, and other items were stolen in 2017 from the Franklin Mineral Museum in Franklin, New Jersey
- An antique shotgun worth over $30,000 was stolen in 2018 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum, Wantage, New Jersey
- Various jewelry and other items from multiple antique and jewelry stores in New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania.
This investigation involved dozens of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.
Watch the full news conference below: