Dawn Trotta

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.

A suspect in an interstate art and memorabilia theft ring can keep his existing lawyer, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. During a hearing in a Scranton federal courtroom, Joseph Atsus, 53, of Roaring Brook Township, Lackawanna County, formally waived his right to potential future court appeals based on the possibility that his lawyer, Attorney Patrick A. Casey, has a conflict of interest.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Buchanan's admission at a court hearing Tuesday adds to the doubt about the painting's authenticity.