Lackawanna County Man Sentenced To 48 Months’ Imprisonment For Conspiracy And Theft and Concealment of Major Artwork

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Joseph Atsus, age 51, of Covington Township, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 13, 2026, to 48 months’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release, and to pay restitution in the amount of $1,071,150, by Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion for conspiracy, theft of major artwork and concealment/disposal of major artwork.

According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, a jury found Atsus guilty of four counts following a nearly month-long trial earlier this year.  The jury found that, along with his co-defendants and other co-conspirators, Atsus was responsible for the theft of following:

• “Le Grande Passion” by Andy Warhol and “Springs Winter” purportedly by Jackson Pollock stolen in 2005 from the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania;
• Three antique firearms stolen in 2006 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum in Wantage, New Jersey.
• “Upper Hudson” by Jasper Crospey, worth approximately $120,000, stolen in 2011 from Ringwood Manor in Ringwood, New Jersey.
• Antique firearms worth over $150,000, stolen in 2011 from Ringwood Manor in Ringwood, New Jersey.
• Memorabilia belonging to Christy Matthewson, stolen in 1999 from Keystone College in Factoryville, Pennsylvania.
• Golf trophies and memorabilia belonging to Art Wall, Jr., stolen in 2011 from the Scranton Country Club located in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania.
• Over $100,000 worth of gold nuggets stolen in 2011 from the Sterling Hill Mining Museum located in Ogdensburg, New Jersey; and
• Nine World Series rings, seven championship and other rings, and two MVP plaques all belonging to Yogi Berra stolen in 2014 from the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center located in Little Falls, New Jersey.

Atsus committed the above thefts as part of a larger, eight-person conspiracy.  Co-conspirators Nicholas Dombek, age 55, of Thornhurst, Pennsylvania, and Damien Boland, age 50, of Covington Township, Pennsylvania, were also convicted alongside Atsus 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 substantive offenses. Boland was sentenced last month to 108 months’ imprisonment. Dombek is presently awaiting sentencing.

Three additional co-conspirators pled guilty pursuant to felony informations and were sentenced by Judge Mannion earlier this year. They include:

• Thomas Trotta, age 50, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, who was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment for theft of major artwork;
• Dawn Trotta, age 53, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, who was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property;
• Frank Tassiello, age 52, of Taylor, Pennsylvania, who was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property; and
• Ralph Parry, age 47, of Springbrook Township, Pennsylvania, who was sentenced to three years of probation as well as a period of home-confinement for conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property.

After stealing the above-described items, the conspirators would transport the stolen goods back to Northeastern Pennsylvania, often to the residence of Dombek, and melt the memorabilia down into easily transportable metal discs or bars.  The conspirators would then sell 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.

Dombek burnt the painting “Upper Hudson” by Jasper Crospey, valued at approximately $125,000, to avoid the painting being recovered by investigators and used as evidence against the members of the conspiracy. The whereabouts of many of the other paintings and stolen objects are currently unknown, however, several antique firearms stolen from the Space Farms: Zoo and Museum and the Ringwood Manor Museum, both in New Jersey, were recovered by investigators, including an antique gun which Boland had earlier hidden at a relative’s house in a different state.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Pennsylvania State Police, the New Jersey State Police, the New York State Police, the New Jersey State Park Police, the Newport Police Department (Rhode Island), the Fargo Police Department (North Dakota), the Chester Police Department (New York), the Exeter Borough Police Department (Pennsylvania), the Scranton Police Department, the Franklin Police Department (New Jersey), the Village of Goshen Police Department (New York), the Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, D.C.), the West Milord Township Police Department (New Jersey), the Montclair Police Department (New Jersey), the Saratoga Springs Police Department (New York), the Canastota Police Department (New York), the South Abington Police Department (Pennsylvania), the Bernards Township Police Department (New Jersey), the Salisbury Township Police Department (Pennsylvania), the Montclair State University Police Department (New Jersey) the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office (Pennsylvania), the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office (New Jersey), the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office (New Jersey), the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (New York), and multiple other local law enforcement agencies from across the country.  Assistant United States Attorneys James M. Buchanan and Jenny Roberts prosecuted the case.

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