Frank Tassiello

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.

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.

A federal prosecutor sought Thomas Trotta's imprisonment after Dunmore police filed theft charges against him; the charges were later withdrawn