By Boxing Bob Newman
Back on November 2015, the boxing world’s version of the heist of the century took place at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, NY. Six championship belts were stolen in a brazen late night break in, netting two world title belts belonging to Tony Zale and four of Carmen Basilio’s.
Before long, the case went from the local authorities in Canastota and Madison County to the federal level involving the FBI.
Fast forward seven and a half years- a press conference was held today at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announcing the arrests of nine people in connection with a string of thefts involving art, jewelry and sports memorabilia.
Nicholas Dombek, age 53, of Thornhurst, Pennsylvania, Damien Boland, age 47, of Moscow, Pennsylvania, Alfred Atsus, age 47, of Covington Township, Pennsylvania, and Joseph Atsus, age 48, of Roaring Brook, Pennsylvania were indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment or disposal of objects of cultural heritage, and interstate transportation of stolen property.
All four men were also charged with substantive counts of theft of major artwork and the concealment or disposal of objects of cultural heritage. Dombek was further charged with a substantive count of interstate transportation of stolen property.
Five other individuals were charged by felony informations for the same conspiracy. They are Thomas Trotta, age 48, of Moscow, Pennsylvania, Frank Tassiello, age 50, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Daryl Rinker, age 50, of Thornhurst, Pennsylvania, Dawn Trotta, age 51, of Covington Township, Pennsylvania, and Ralph Parry, age 45, of Covington Township, Pennsylvania.
IBHOF director Ed Brophy spoke with Fightnews.com® today regarding the arrests and the belts. Regarding the location of the belts, Brophy wasn’t able to shed any light. “There’s allegations that they were dismantled and the gold was melted down and sold along with the jewels, but we won’t know anything until the court dates. Anything is possible, so we can hope for a miracle that they’ll turn up somewhere, intact.”
There’s more information about the scope of thefts here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/nine-charged-conspiracy-steal-major-artworks-and-sports-memorabilia
I barely found out about the heist yesterday. Glad they caught the scum. They deserve life in prison, no parole!
My guess, they’ll be out in less than a year and a half.
Wow. Nothing else to do in upstate Pennsylvania so they heist things…..
Thats a darn shame. All these guys are over 45 and still acting like a bunch of thugs. They take championship belts that fighters worked so hard to get. These grown men couldn’t plan anything better together. The bottom of the barrel bunch. They need their a$$es kicked.
What took so long?
That’s how it works. They take forever, issuing warrants etc. so at the end of the day, you never recover what was stolen and you hope insurance pays for it. As for the perpetrators…just let them go, they’ll be out soon after.
I say string ’em up !!!
If it took 7 years, those belts are long gone.