In 2014, a band of thieves broke into the Yogi Berra Museum at Montclair State University in Little Falls, making off with memorabilia said to be worth $1,000,000. For years, the burglars and the fate of the priceless mementos were unknown.
But, as Berra himself once said: “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
A federal grand jury in Scranton returned indictments against four Pennsylvania men accused of operating a ring of thefts allegedly responsible for the 2014 heist, as well as the pilfering of countless artworks and collectibles over a 20-year run, the Department of Justice stated on Thursday.
However, rather than hawk the stolen items for their exorbitant market value, the thieves destroyed the priceless loot, including 16 of Berra’s championship rings that were melted down and sold as raw metals to buyers in and around New York City for a pittance of the items’ actual worth, according to federal attorneys from the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The Little Falls heist also included two of Berra’s MVP plaques, but the awards were never returned to the museum, according to prior coverage by The Record. Although replicas were presented to the institution on Berra’s 90th birthday, months after the burglary. Berra died on Sept. 22, 2015.
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“My family is grateful that those responsible for the theft have been apprehended, and deeply saddened that none of those pieces of sports history will be recovered,” said Lindsay Berra, granddaughter of Yogi Berra and a member of the museum’s Board of Trustees. “I remember when my grandfather first heard about the robbery, his main concern was that the museum was still safe for kids to come and visit. Educating the next generation was always his priority for the museum.”
At the time of the robbery, authorities said it would be difficult to fence the high-profile contraband without a letter of authenticity. Nevertheless, investigators put out word to local pawnshops while Essex County offered a reward for information about the stolen rings ― ranging in values from $40,000 to $100,000 each ― and the plaques ― valued at $350,000 apiece, according to previous reports.
Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura had called the Berra museum an “iconic asset to our county and to parents, children and baseball fans everywhere,” and said he was “outraged that this vital institution was violated.”
The defendants under indictment face charges for conspiracy, interstate transportation of stolen property, theft of major artwork and the concealment or disposal of objects of cultural heritage.
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The investigation nabbed five others believed to have played some part in the syndicate, all of whom face additional charges but have yet to face a grand jury.
“We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the members of the law enforcement community involved for their unwavering commitment to solving this case,” said Eve Schaenen, Executive Director of the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center. “Their dedication has been instrumental in bringing those responsible to justice.”
The DOJ’s announcement includes a laundry list of the crew’s precious spoils, which reads as much like an auction brochure from Christie’s as it does a criminal complaint.
Among the items stolen throughout the thieves’ two-decade career are paintings by Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock and Jasper Cropsey, whose work, “Upper Hudson,” was allegedly burned by the gang’s purported ringleader in a rush to destroy remaining evidence as investigators closed in, despite a price tag of $500,000.
Also included in the men’s bounties were three antique guns, worth a collective $1,000,000, from a museum in Wantage; the 1903 Belmont Stakes trophy; and two contracts signed by another Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson along with countless other antiques, jewelry, precious stones and sports trophies, all worth millions of dollars in total.
If convicted, the four indicted men could face up to five years in federal prison for conspiracy, and 10 years for each additional charge.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yogi Berra Museum: Men indicted nine years later in robbery