They Stole Yogi Berra’s World Series Rings. Then They Did Something Really Crazy.
January 15, 2025 at 01:52AMAriel Sabar takes us on a wild ride, telling the story of a crew of childhood friends from northeastern Pennsylvania who pulled off more than 1,500 burglaries over the decades, including a series of sports-memorabilia heists. Think championship rings, belts, and trophies, all kept in low-security sports museums across the US. At the heart of Sabar’s cinematic feature is Tommy Trotta—a big baseball fan, and an even bigger thief. Sabar writes an engrossing story, pieced together from conversations Sabar had with Trotta last year, as well as police records and other documents.
Money was becoming tighter, too. Berra’s 16 rings and two MVP plaques—valued at $1.5 million intact—had grossed Trotta’s crew just $10,300 after melting. The more he and his wife fought, the more he wondered how long he could keep it up: the burglaries, the lies, all of it. He thought about day-trading or opening a restaurant. If he could pull one last job—a really big one—he’d have the capital to start an honest business, draw a steadier income, do better as a husband and dad. He was turning 40. It was time.
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from Longreads https://longreads.com/2025/01/14/the-childhood-friends-behind-the-most-audacious-sports-memorabilia-heists-in-american-history/
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