In a significant federal case, a Pennsylvania man involved in the heist of several art pieces by iconic artists like Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock has been handed an eight-year prison sentence following his guilty plea to major artwork theft. Thomas Trotta, 49, from Dunmore, becomes the fourth individual to be sentenced in a lengthy investigation into multiple thefts across art institutions and stores over two decades. Among the valuable items stolen were World Series rings belonging to the renowned baseball legend, Yogi Berra.
As part of the sentencing process on Thursday, Trotta was also ordered to pay $2.8 million in restitution, having already been in custody. His legal representative, Joe D’Andrea, described Trotta as “the primary burglar,” saying he was directly involved in the break-ins at various institutions. Meanwhile, Gino Bartolai, representing another defendant named Nicholas Dombek, who is yet to be sentenced partly due to Trotta’s testimony against him and others, remarked that Trotta received a significantly reduced sentence despite admitting to numerous burglaries.
“When you cooperate, you get a leniency,” Bartolai stated. “Trotta benefited from a significant reduction.” The sentencing schedule for Dombek, 54, from Thornhurst, and two additional co-defendants has yet to be determined. D’Andrea highlighted Trotta’s cooperation as a key witness for the government in the cases against the trio. Prosecutors disclosed that much of the artwork and artifacts remain unrecovered, with thefts documented in several states including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, North Dakota, and Washington, D.C.
Trotta confessed to stealing Warhol’s silkscreen “Le Grande Passion” and Pollock’s 1949 painting “Springs Winter” from the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania, back in 2005. The thieves used a large tent set up for an event as cover while breaking in through a glass door. In a 2023 valuation, the Pollock piece was appraised at nearly $12 million. While “Springs Winter” was on loan to the museum from a private owner, “Le Grande Passion,? a piece from 1984 commissioned for a Grand Passion cognac ad campaign, was owned by the museum but remains missing.
D’Andrea noted Trotta’s belief that he located the paintings in Newark, New Jersey, but authorities were unsuccessful in their search. Additionally, Trotta acknowledged stealing rings and MVP plaques, collectively valued at $500,000, from the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls, New Jersey. He was also linked to the theft of a Tiffany lamp, items related to boxing and horse racing, and memorabilia connected to baseball star Roger Maris and golf legend Ben Hogan.
Berra’s World Series rings are suspected to have been melted down and sold at a fraction of their value as sports memorabilia. Other stolen items include gold nuggets worth hundreds of thousands from the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, New Jersey. An 1871 Jasper Cropsey painting, “Upper Hudson,” estimated to be worth over $100,000, was reportedly destroyed by fire to hide the crime, according to information from the U.S. attorney’s office, following its theft in 2011 from Ringwood Manor in Ringwood, New Jersey.
