(Credits: Far Out / United States Library of Congress)
The main culprit of a crime ring that stole million-dollar paintings over twenty years, including work by Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison.
Pennsylvania man Thomas Trotta was named the leader of several heists in which paintings like Warhol’s Le Grande Passion and Pollock’s Springs Water, worth $12m, were stolen from museums.
Trotta was sentenced on March 13th, which also included a repayment of $2.8 million in restitution.
He was the fourth person sentenced out of nine as part of a multi-state investigation into thefts over two decades at 20 museums, institutions, and stores across six states and in Washington, DC. The last surrendered in January 2024 after almost seven months on the run.
In addition to the artworks, prosecutors said Trotta also admitted to the thefts of commemorative rings and MVP sports plaques with an estimated value of $500,000 from the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls, New Jersey.
It is believed that the thieves melted down most of the metal objects before selling them for much less than their original value as memorabilia.
They also burned Upper Hudson, a painting by Jasper Cropsey, in order to avoid detection in an attempt to thwart detection by the authorities.
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