LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — Three people involved in a theft ring that stole sports memorabilia, works of art, and antiques entered guilty pleas in federal court in Scranton.
Daryl Rinker, Ralph Parry, and Frank Tassiello entered guilty pleas Friday.
Rinker pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conceal and dispose of stolen art and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Full restitution must be made to split equally among the co-conspirators.
Parry pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft, concealment of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Parry admitted to researching collections at Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens in Washington, D.C., in 2018. He drove other conspirators to steal items and later strip and melt those items down to sell them.
Tassiello pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft, concealment of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Tassiello admitted he broke into several locations, including Space Farms Zoo & Museum in New Jersey, with another conspirator in August of 2018 and stole a rare Colt 1839 revolving shotgun worth more than $32,000. That gun was later sold to Rinker.
Tassiello is also serving a sentence in New Jersey on criminal charges of theft from Space Farm Zoo & Museum, where he reports every third weekend of the month to serve his time. The judge is allowing him to leave the Middle District of Pennsylvania for those court-related activities only.
All three are facing a maximum of five years in prison. The men were released until their sentencing.
Thomas Trotta and Dawn Trotta are scheduled to enter pleas on July 5.
Damien Boland, Alfred Atsus, and Joseph Atsus have pleaded not guilty to all counts and are awaiting trial. That has been scheduled for later this year.
Nicholas Dombek is still a fugitive.
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 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.