At the sentencings of Joseph Atsus’ art and memorabilia theft ring co-conspirators, victims shed tears as they described losing treasured heirlooms.
At his sentencing Tuesday, Atsus’ mother and ex-wife sobbed as they tried to convince a federal judge to show mercy in sentencing him.
Oralia Iniguez said her son’s 11-year-old autistic son needs his father and mother nearby.
“They have (poured) their lives into (the son’s) care,” Iniquez said. “It requires every bit of energy.”
Jodi Bird, Atsus’ ex-wife and the boy’s mother, said her son didn’t talk until he was 6 years old, suffered abuse in school at the hands of other children and is prone to screaming fits.
“He was excluded from school activities because he’s so disruptive,” Bird said. “This kid has been through so much that it takes a village to raise him.”
In the end, Senior U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion acknowledged he took the boy’s condition into consideration and sentenced Atsus to spend four years in prison, less than he could have.
“I’m not doing this for you,” Mannion told Atsus in a fourth-floor courtroom at the federal courthouse in Scranton. “I’m doing this for him.”
$1 million in restitution
As with two of Atsus’ fellow defendants, the judge also imposed a huge restitution bill, $1,071,150. Atsus must also pay a $400 special assessment and undergo federal supervision for three years after his release. Mannion ordered Atsus to report to prison by Feb. 13, but said he’ll recommend imprisoning him at the federal prison in Lewisburg so he can be close to his family.
Atsus, 51, of Roaring Brook Twp., became the sixth of the nine ring members originally charged in 2023 whom Mannion has sentenced.
Nicholas Dombek, who like Atsus and Damien Boland was convicted in February after a month-long trial, is the only ring member still awaiting sentencing. The same jury acquitted Alfred Atsus, Joseph Atsus’ brother, on all counts.
Ringleader Thomas Trotta, the prosecution’s star witness at the trial, pleaded guilty and received eight years in prison and Boland got nine years. Trotta’s sister, Dawn Trotta, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and Frank Tassiello, six months. Mannion sentenced Ralph Parry to three years probation. The Trottas, Parry and Tassiello pleaded guilty. One other defendant pleaded guilty but died before sentencing.
'He’s worked all his life'
Attorney Patrick A. Casey, Atsus’ lawyer, asked the judge to consider his client’s exemplary 20 years as a Walmart distribution center worker, his lack of a previous criminal record and his devotion to his family, especially his son.
Atsus understands he tarnished his family’s name, Casey said.
“It has been now 10 years since he had anything to do with Mr. Trotta,” Casey said. “He’s worked all his life.”
The long-time thief
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Buchanan argued for eight years and one month in prison, even after Mannion issued rulings that reduced a sentencing guideline recommendation to a range of five years and three months to 6½ years.
Buchanan said Atsus acted as the driver and theft planner in a ring that damaged victims and hurt families who donated heirlooms to museums for display.
“He has two faces. (One is) an exemplary life taking care of his family and children,” the prosecutor said. “At the same time, he’s also a member of a 20-year conspiracy ... He was involved in a lot of crime over a lot of years.”
A sympathetic judge
Mannion said Atsus took part in a ring that stole valuable memorabilia and art, some of which will never be recovered. He specifically mentioned the melting down 16 of Hall of Fame baseball player Yogi Berra’s various rings that netted the thieves $12,000.
“We know that ultimately the value of the stolen items was so much higher,” Mannion said.
He noted Atsus’ devotion to his son.
“I can’t tell how much it pains me” knowing that prison time will separate him from his son, he said.
“I’m very concerned about (his son’s) mental and physical health,” Mannion said. “But at the end of the day, you are the one that put yourself in that position.”
What they stole
The ring was accused of targeting 20 museums and other venues in search of loot over a 20-year period. That included stealing:
- A baseball jersey worn by Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson and two of Mathewson’s baseball contracts in 1999 from Keystone College.
- “Le Grande Passion” by Andy Warhol and “Springs Winter,” purportedly by Jackson Pollock, in 2005 from the Everhart Museum in Scranton. Both remain missing.
- Nine World Series rings awarded to Hall of Fame baseball player Yogi Berra, seven other championship rings and two MVP plaques from the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in Montclair, New Jersey.
- A 1903/1904 Tiffany Lamp in 2010 from the Lackawanna Historical Society in Scranton.
- Honesdale professional golfer Art Wall’s trophies from the Scranton Country Club in South Abington Twp.
- The Hickok Belt and MVP Trophy belonging to Roger Maris in 2016 from the Roger Maris Museum in Fargo, North Dakota.
- The U.S. Amateur Trophy and a Hickok Belt awarded to Ben Hogan, in 2012 from the USGA Golf Museum & Library in Bernards Twp., New Jersey.
- Fourteen trophies and other awards worth approximately $300,000 in 2012 from the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York.
- Five trophies worth over $350,000, including the 1903 Belmont Stakes Trophy, in 2013 from the National Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York.
- Three antique firearms stolen in 2006 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum in Wantage, New Jersey.
- “Upper Hudson,” a painting by Jasper Crospey, worth approximately $120,000, stolen in 2011 from Ringwood Manor in Ringwood, New Jersey.
- Antique guns worth more than $150,000, stolen in 2011 from Ringwood Manor.
