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Guilty plea from member of Lackawanna County theft ring

Nine people are accused of the theft of art and sports memorabilia in our area and around the country.

SCRANTON, Pa. — One of the people accused in a major art heist scheme has entered a guilty plea.

Dawn Trotta was in federal court in Scranton on Friday morning to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property.

Trotta is one of nine people from Lackawanna County accused of stealing art and sports memorabilia from around the country.

Investigators say Trotta rented two vehicles that were used in some of those thefts and also allowed the use of her garage to melt down some of the stolen items.

She faces five years behind bars.
Investigators said the thefts happened over the last 20 years.

The group allegedly stole items from 20 museums and other places across New Jersey, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania.

Several spots were targeted in Lackawanna County, including the Scranton Country Club in 2011. Thieves left with 11 trophies.

The ring targeted the Everhart Museum in Scranton in 2005 when Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock paintings were stolen.

Some of the other items stolen include:

  • A Christy Mathewson jersey and two contracts signed by Mathewson were stolen in 1999 from Keystone College in Factoryville, Pennsylvania
  • “Le Grande Passion” by Andy Warhol and “Springs Winter” by Jackson Pollock were stolen in 2005 from the Everhart Museum, Scranton, Pennsylvania.
  • Nine World Series rings, seven other championship rings, and two MVP plaques awarded to Yogi Berra, worth over $1,000,000, stolen in 2014 from the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center, Little Falls, New Jersey
  • Six championship belts, including four awarded to Carmen Basilio and two awarded to Tony Zale stolen in 2015 from the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Canastota, New York
  • The Hickok Belt and MVP Trophy awarded to Roger Maris, stolen in 2016 from the Roger Maris Museum, Fargo, North Dakota.
  • The U.S. Amateur Trophy and a Hickok Belt awarded to Ben Hogan, stolen in 2012 from the USGA Golf Museum & Library, Liberty Corner, New Jersey.
  • Fourteen trophies and other awards worth over $300,000 stolen in 2012 from the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, Goshen, New York
  • Five trophies worth over $400,000, including the 1903 Belmont Stakes Trophy, stolen in 2013 from the National Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, Saratoga Springs, New York.
  • Eleven trophies, including four awarded to Art Wall, Jr., stolen in 2011 from the Scranton Country Club, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
  • Three antique firearms worth a combined $1,000,000, stolen in 2006 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum, Wantage, New Jersey
  • A 1903/1904 Tiffany Lamp, stolen in 2010 from the Lackawanna Historical Society, Scranton, Pennsylvania
  • “Upper Hudson” by Jasper Cropsey, worth approximately $500,000, and two antique firearms worth over $300,000, stolen in 2011 from Ringwood Manor, Ringwood, New Jersey
  • $400,000 worth of gold nuggets, stolen in 2011 from the Sterling Hill Mining Museum, Ogdensburg, New Jersey
  • Various gems, minerals, and other items were stolen in 2017 from the Franklin Mineral Museum in Franklin, New Jersey
  • An antique shotgun worth over $30,000 was stolen in 2018 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum, Wantage, New Jersey
  • Various jewelry and other items from multiple antique and jewelry stores in New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania.

This investigation involved dozens of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.

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