Hall of Fame thieves convicted on multiple accounts of theft, conspiracy

Three men who were part of a wide-ranging theft ring that broke into both the Thoroughbred and harness racing Halls of Fame were convicted in a Pennsylvania courtroom on Friday on charges related to the thefts.

Nicholas Dombek, Joseph Atsus, and Damien Boland were all convicted by the jury on multiple counts of theft and conspiracy. The trial included testimony from the former ringleader of the group, Thomas Trotta, who had pleaded guilty prior to the trial and agreed to become a cooperating witness.

Over the course of nearly two decades, the ring targeted small museums and typically smashed open display cases to steal sports memorabilia and trophies.

Among the two dozen museums the group targeted were the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., which was robbed in 2013 of five trophies worth over $400,000, including the 1903 Belmont Stakes Trophy, according to the prosecution.

One year earlier, the group broke into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in Goshen, N.Y., and stole 14 trophies and “awards” worth over $300,000, according to the prosecution.

The group melted down the trophies and “would then sell the raw metal to fences in the New York City area for hundreds or a few thousands of dollars, significantly less than the sports memorabilia would be worth at fair market value,” prosecutors said.

Sentencing for the defendants has not yet been scheduled.

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