Thomas Trotta, a 48-year-old man from outside Scranton, Pennsylvania, embarked on a decades-long spree of stealing millions of dollars worth of sports memorabilia and artwork from museums. His criminal career came to an end following a routine traffic stop.
It was in 2019 when Trotta was pulled over for erratic driving near Scranton. During a search of his trunk, police discovered incriminating evidence, including gloves that tied Trotta to the 2016 theft of an ATM using a snowplow from a grocery store.
Subsequent investigations led authorities to connect Trotta to a series of home burglaries. While in police custody, Trotta began confessing to various unsolved museum heists, such as the theft of Yogi Berra's World Series rings and artwork by Andy Warhol. He also disclosed information about his accomplices, including the lookouts and getaway drivers. In exchange for his cooperation, Trotta received a reduced sentence.
Reflecting on his actions, Trotta expressed remorse, stating, "How we justified it is 'hey, nobody's getting hurt.' But I never looked at it like, sitting in jail for 51 months. Emotionally, I destroyed people. I know this now."
Origin of Trotta's Criminal Activities
Thomas Trotta's criminal journey began in his youth in the outskirts of Scranton, Pennsylvania. A passionate sports enthusiast, Trotta had a particular fondness for baseball, a love instilled in him by his grandparents who often took him to Yankees games.
Trotta's childhood was marked by a penchant for thievery, starting even when he still believed in Santa Claus.
One memory that stands out is a fishing trip with his father, where they resorted to sneaking into a hatchery at 3 a.m. to catch salmon with nets after failing to catch any fish themselves.
As time passed, Trotta fell in with a group of neighborhood friends who eventually became his alleged partners in crime. What began with petty theft from pay phones escalated to full-blown home burglaries, turning theft into Trotta's primary occupation. In 1999, he combined his criminal tendencies with his love for sports by carrying out his first sports memorabilia heist.
At Keystone College in Factoryville, Pennsylvania, an exhibition honoring Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson, known for his 373 career wins, was unveiled. Among the items on display was a jersey from the 1905 World Series. The person in charge of the exhibit allowed visitors, including Trotta, to closely examine the jersey, even taking it out of the display case for Trotta to hold.
"As soon as I saw it, my mind started racing," Trotta recalled. "I was already planning who to contact and who could assist me with this, especially since it was only going to be on display for one day."
That same night, Trotta returned for the jersey and, after stealing it, he admitted to feeling compelled to try it on.
"The fact that he wore it during the game, I got a kick," Trotta said. "I'm a fanatical baseball fan."
With time, Trotta developed an M.O. He would visit the venues he planned to target, sometimes bringing along his niece or nephew, as if they were tourists on a family trip. He would film the objects he was targeting, taking note of nearest doors and windows. Trotta said no one ever suspected he was casing the museums.
"Not in a million years. I have a dorky look to me, I know this," Trotta said. "I don't look like a criminal at all."
Much like an athlete, he'd prepare for the job by spending hours watching tape, reviewing his own shaky footage of potential targets and the closest exits.
"Certain fans really don't like me"
Trotta may be a sports fan, but many other sports fans are no fans of his.
In 2012, Trotta smashed through a window at the U.S. Golf Museum in New Jersey and made off with the great Ben Hogan's trophies. In 2016, he drove to the Roger Maris Museum in North Dakota and stole the Yankees slugger's MVP plaque.
He never did hit the Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown, but 70 miles away, at the Boxing Hall of Fame, he lifted the belts of champ Carmen Basilio. At the Harness Racing Museum in Goshen, New York, he took 14 trophies.
In October of 2014, Trotta, a self-professed Yankees fan, stole nine of Yogi Berra's World Series rings from the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in New Jersey. Two MVP plaques and seven other championship rings were also taken during the heist, according to the indictment against Trotta.
The alarm blared as Trotta ran across a field to meet his getaway driver. "We were a second away from getting caught," he said.
Trotta tried all the World Series rings on to see how they'd look. He said he and his crew then cut and melted the rings inside a rural Pennsylvania garage and brought the gold and gemstones to Manhattan's Diamond District, where a dealer paid cash, no questions asked. For all that priceless Yogi Berra memorabilia, Trotta says they got $12,000.
It was valued at over $1,000,000, according to the indictment.
Trotta said he and his alleged accomplices melted down much of what they stole — the stuff that was too hot to sell. Sports memorabilia may be a $25 billion market, but demand dries up fast when the objects are so obviously stolen.
"A swift $12,000. Despite the negative connotations, I didn't see it as rings," Trotta expressed. "It was currency. It was tangible."
He now acknowledges that his perspective was distorted.
Lindsay Berra, a storyteller dedicated to upholding the memory of her cherished grandfather, was moved to tears upon learning the fate of the stolen rings. She found it illogical then and remains puzzled by it today.
"You go to great lengths to plan meticulously, only to sell the stolen items for a fraction of their actual value? And, not to mention the fact that you're obliterating historically significant artifacts that hold far more value than the gold and diamonds they contain," she remarked. "It's heartless, disrespectful, and foolish."
Transitioning from sports memorabilia to artwork
Trotta's most significant heist didn't involve sports at all. In 2005, Scranton's Everhart Museum was exhibiting Andy Warhol's "La Grande Passion" and Jackson Pollock's "Springs Winter."
"It truly was a fortress," Trotta recounted. "However, they had a vulnerability at the rear of the museum. There were two glass doors."
Familiar with the museum as a local, Trotta was able to maneuver through it in darkness to carry out the theft.
"Infiltrate the museum, pitch black," Trotta whispered. "It's like wandering through a coal mine."
With precision, Trotta carefully removed the paintings from the wall, swiftly made his way down the stairs, and dashed out the door. He swiftly loaded them into the back of a waiting truck and instructed his driver to speed away.
Recognizing the significance of the stolen artwork by Warhol and Pollock, Trotta estimated their value to be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions.
Where could the stolen treasures be?
Despite the high value of the stolen pieces, Trotta and his band of thieves found it challenging to secure a buyer following the widely-publicized heist. Consequently, Trotta disclosed that they chose to stash the art, along with a valuable Christy Mathewson jersey, inside a residence in Union, NJ owned by two of the suspected accomplices.
Recent developments have seen federal and state authorities unveil a comprehensive indictment. Eight individuals linked to Trotta have been formally charged with conspiring to steal major artwork, with four already entering guilty pleas. The remaining four have maintained their innocence and are set to stand trial in the upcoming months.
While the indictment provides details on the fate of Yogi Berra's rings, it remains silent on the whereabouts of the Mathewson jersey, the Warhol, and the Pollock. Investigators have refrained from commenting on the ongoing trials.
Trotta himself professes ignorance regarding the current location of the stolen masterpieces.
"I don't believe it's been completely destroyed. No one would be that foolish," he remarked. "It will likely resurface one day."
Where is Trotta currently?
Trotta completed his state sentence of over four years last June. He now works night shifts at a warehouse and is awaiting sentencing for the federal charge of stealing major artwork.
"I regret causing harm to everyone I stole from," Trotta expressed. "The Yogi Berra family... everything he achieved in life, he didn't need someone like me to do what I did. But it doesn't diminish his accomplishments. He's the hero. Not me."
Lindsay Berra, on the other hand, believes her grandfather may have forgiven Trotta.
"Grandpa was the kind of person who, if you admitted your mistakes and showed remorse, he would likely forgive you," she stated. "I suppose I could do the same, but I'm still upset that the items are missing."
