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CHICAGO — A former warehouse assistant for the Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership in Georgia pleaded responsible Wednesday to transporting thousands and thousands of {dollars} price of stolen Masters event memorabilia and historic objects, together with one in every of Arnold Palmer’s iconic inexperienced jackets.
Richard Globensky, of Georgia, entered the plea in federal courtroom in Chicago. He was charged with one depend of transporting items realizing that they had been stolen.
“I plead responsible,” Globensky, 39, advised the decide.
In keeping with federal prosecutors, Globensky took objects from the warehouse for sellers in Florida, who then offered them on-line at a major markup. Globensky was paid by way of a restricted legal responsibility firm arrange in his spouse’s identify, amongst different methods. The scheme lasted for greater than a decade and earned him greater than $5 million.
As a part of a plea deal, Globensky should write a $1.5 million cashier’s examine to the federal government inside days. He stays free on bond and faces a most 10-year jail time period when he is sentenced Oct. 29, however will doubtless get nearer to 2 years in jail below federal pointers.
The objects, that had been stolen between 2009 and 2022, included such historic memorabilia as inexperienced jackets and tickets to Masters tournaments within the Nineteen Thirties, in addition to T-shirts, mugs and chairs, in line with prosecutors. Among the many stolen iconic inexperienced jackets had been these gained by Palmer, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
Globensky, who had labored on the warehouse since 2007, would secretly {photograph} objects and ship them to a Florida-based vendor, recognized in courtroom paperwork solely as Particular person A, prosecutors stated. Globensky would then sneak out objects that they had been interested by, taking small portions to keep away from the chance of Augusta Nationwide’s auditing practices, in line with courtroom paperwork. Gadgets had been hidden in an offsite storage facility and shipped.
The whole loss to Augusta Nationwide was greater than $3 million, in line with prosecutors. A consultant for Augusta Nationwide didn’t instantly reply Wednesday to a request for remark.
Globensky declined to remark to reporters after the listening to. His lawyer, Thomas Church, advised reporters the case was being tried in Chicago as a result of among the stolen items had been recovered within the space. Church declined additional remark due to pending investigations.
Nobody else has been charged within the case, however prosecutors stated Globensky is cooperating within the ongoing investigation.
Prosecutors in April charged Globensky with transporting stolen event merchandise and memorabilia throughout state traces to Florida. However the courtroom data did not say what was taken from the well-known golf membership.
Augusta Nationwide hosts the annual Masters golf event, which Scottie Scheffler gained final month.
Palmer, who died in 2016 at age 87, gained 4 inexperienced jackets. He is usually credited with introducing golf to the lots and hit the ceremonial tee shot yearly on the Masters for years after he stopped taking part in within the event in 2004.
Getting a ticket to the Masters additionally provides followers the possibility to purchase unique merchandise that is not formally offered on-line. However the inexperienced jackets are notably guarded by the Georgia firm that owns Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership and the Masters golf event.
The corporate sued in 2017 to cease a golf memorabilia firm from auctioning off a champion’s inexperienced jacket and different objects it stated had been by no means supposed to depart the membership’s grounds.
Augusta Nationwide Inc. filed the federal lawsuit towards the Florida-based public sale firm searching for to cease it from promoting a champion’s inexperienced jacket and two member inexperienced jackets, in addition to silverware and a belt buckle bearing Augusta Nationwide’s map and flag brand.
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