Dawn Trotta

A federal judge sentenced art and memorabilia theft ring member Joseph Atsus to spend four years in prison, but acknowledged reducing the sentence because of concern for Atsus' son.

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.

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

Dawn Trotta said Nicholas Dombek banged on her front door in September 2019, furious that her brother, Thomas, was cooperating with police in widespread thefts.

Thomas Trotta also details Keystone College theft, his criminal background and his friendship with other accused ring members.

Trooper Kyle Hnat said he took care to corroborate statements that ring leader Thomas Trotta. Eventually, police dropped him as a confidential informant because he kept committing burglaries, testimony shows.

Testimony begins in Scranton federal trial of four accused members of multi-state theft ring that stole art, sports memorabilia.

Presiding judge says the case will last into February. Prosecutors say the theft ring operated in six states and the District of Columbia between 1999 and 2019 and collected hundreds of thousands in loot.

Lawyers for suspects and prosecutors will begin choosing a jury in a federal courtroom in Scranton for a trial expected to last at least two weeks.