Major art, sports memorabilia theft ring busted. Thefts included belts from CNY Boxing Hall of Fame

Nine people were charged Thursday with stealing sports memorabilia worth millions, federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania said.

Among the many things stolen were six championship belts taken from the International Hall of Fame in Madison County in 2015. Four belonged to Carmen Basilio, of Canastota, and two to Tony Zale.

Authorities said World Series rings, jerseys, two MVP plaques for Yogi Berra, antique guns, gems and jewelry were stolen in the thefts that date back to 1999.

The nine people indicted took the stolen goods to Northeastern Pennsylvania and melted them down to discs and bars, prosecutors said. They sold the raw metal in the New York City area for hundreds of thousands of dollars, they said.

Nicholas Dombek, 53, of Thornhurst, Pennsylvania, burned the painting “Upper Hudson” by Jasper Cropsey, valued at about $500,000, to avoid its recovery by investigators, prosecutors said.

Many of the other paintings and stolen objects are unaccounted for, prosecutors said.

The stolen items included:

• A signed Christy Mathewson jersey
• “Le Grande Passion” by Andy Warhol and “Springs Winter” by Jackson Pollock
• Nine World Series rings
• Two MPV Plaques awarded to Yogi Berra
• Seven other championship rings
• Six boxing championship belts
• The Hickok Belt and MVP trophy awarded to Roger Maris
• The U.S. Amateur Trophy and Hickok Belt awarded to Ben Hogan
• 14 trophies stolen from the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame
• 11 trophies, including four awarded to Art Wall, Jr. stolen in 2011 from the Scranton Country Club
• Three antique firearms stolen from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum, Wantage, New Jersey
• A 1903/1904 Tiffany Lamp stolen from the Lackawanna Historical Society
• “Upper Hudson” by Jasper Cropsey
• $400,000 worth of gold nuggets stolen in 2011 from the Sterling Hill Mining Museum
• An antique shotgun worth over $30,000 stolen in 2018 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum

The nine indicted on conspiracy charges were:

• Dombeck
• Damien Boland, 47, of Moscow, Pennsylvania
• Alfred Atsus, 47, of…