Springs Winter

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.

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.