Thieves Were Just Arrested for Stealing 9 of Yogi Berra’s World Series Rings and Other Rarities
A decades-long heist that claimed millions of dollars worth of rare collectibles appears to have finally come to a close.
Federal authorities announced charges against a ring of nine people on Thursday for thefts of art, sports memorabilia, and other valuables, as reported by Associated Press. The list of stolen items includes nine World Series rings belonging to late Yankees star Yogi Berra, an Andy Warhol silkscreen valued at $100,000, and a Jackson Pollock painting worth an estimated $11.6 million, no less.
More from Robb Report
The thefts reportedly took place over more than 20 years at 20 museums and shops across America, according to U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Gerard M. Karam. The thieves allegedly melted some of the silver and gold items, including Berra’s rings, down into transportable discs that were then sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Of course, that’s much less than many of the pieces were originally worth.
Investigators believe part of the ring was involved in casing security at the targeted museums and planning the robberies, then one or two people would execute the actual thefts. The suspects would then sell and trade items with the larger group, according to court records. Authorities did say some of the valuables had been recovered, but it is unclear which items will be returned to their owners.
Eight of the nine suspects have turned themselves in and at least five have entered into preliminary plea agreements on charges of theft of major artwork and conspiracy to dispose of major objects of cultural heritage, according to court records. The suspects are in their late 40s to early 50s and are residents of Pennsylvania, as per AP.
As for how investigators cracked the case, Karam said recently uncovered evidence unraveled the ring’s activities.
“About three years ago, a forensic link at one of the theft sites discovered by a local police agency led us to forensic evidence that linked several of these thefts,” he said.
Now that’s some good police work.
Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
