Art and Memorabilia Theft Ring

This week, WVIA's Sarah Scinto and Borys Krawczeniuk wrap up the case of a Lackawanna County-based art and memorabilia theft ring now that Nicholas Dombek, the last of the ring's seven members, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Gov. Josh Shapiro thanked first responders for their work last week during the fire at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Dickson City. He said the hospital's emergency room is aiming to reopen by Friday.

Senior U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion sentenced Nicholas Dombek, 55, of Thornhurst Twp., to 10 years in prison minus prison time already served for co-leading an art and memorabilia theft ring that operated for 20 years, targeted 20 museums and other venues and stole millions of dollars in one-of-a-kind jewelry, sports awards and paintings along with rare guns and minerals.

A federal judge sentenced another member of a large art and memorabilia theft ring to prison Tuesday. This was the sixth ring member sentenced who was part of targeting 20 museums and other venues over two decades.

Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry is taking the next step with the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership. The organizations will open a rural dentistry campus in downtown Tamaqua.

A federal judge sentenced Damien Boland to nine years in prison and ordered him to pay more than $2 million in restitution for his role in a 20-year theft ring that targeted 20 museums and other venues, mostly in the eastern United States but also as far away as North Dakota.

In a two-decade period, Thomas Trotta led a ring that targeted 20 museums and other venues, including the Everhart Museum and Lackawanna Historical Society in Scranton, the Country Club of Scranton in South Abington Twp. and Keystone College in LaPlume Twp.

The trial of four Lackawanna County men involved with a decades-old art and memorabilia theft ring ended in a split verdict last week. WVIA's Borys Krawczeniuk joins Sarah Scinto on Morning Edition to catch up.

After three days of deliberations, jurors convicted Joseph Atsus, Nicholas Dombek on most counts they faced and Damien Boland on all counts against him.

Deliberations scheduled to resume Thursday in the trial of accused theft ring members Nicholas Dombek, Damien Boland and Joseph and Alfred Atsus.