CHICAGO — A former warehouse assistant for the Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership in Georgia pleaded responsible Wednesday to transporting thousands and thousands of {dollars} value of stolen Masters match memorabilia and historic gadgets, together with considered one of Arnold Palmer’s iconic inexperienced jackets.
Richard Globensky, of Georgia, entered the plea in federal court docket in Chicago. He was charged with one depend of transporting items understanding that they had been stolen.
“I plead responsible,” Globensky, 39, informed the choose.
In accordance with federal prosecutors, Globensky took gadgets from the warehouse for sellers in Florida, who then offered them on-line at a major markup. Globensky was paid by means 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 verify 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 underneath federal tips.
The gadgets, that have 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 response to prosecutors. Among the many stolen iconic inexperienced jackets have been these gained by Palmer, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
Globensky, who had labored on the warehouse since 2007, would secretly {photograph} gadgets and ship them to a Florida-based vendor, recognized in court docket paperwork solely as Particular person A, prosecutors stated. Globensky would then sneak out gadgets that they have been serious about, taking small portions to keep away from the chance of Augusta Nationwide’s auditing practices, in response to court docket paperwork. Objects have been hidden in an offsite storage facility and shipped.
The overall loss to Augusta Nationwide was greater than $3 million, in response to 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 legal professional, Thomas Church, informed reporters the case was being tried in Chicago as a result of a few of the stolen items have 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 match merchandise and memorabilia throughout state strains to Florida. However the court docket data did not say what was taken from the well-known golf membership.
Augusta Nationwide hosts the annual Masters golf match, which Scottie Scheffler gained final month.
Palmer, who died in 2016 at age 87, gained 4 inexperienced jackets. He is typically credited with introducing golf to the plenty and hit the ceremonial tee shot yearly on the Masters for years after he stopped enjoying within the match in 2004.
Getting a ticket to the Masters additionally offers followers the prospect to purchase unique merchandise that is not formally offered on-line. However the inexperienced jackets are significantly guarded by the Georgia firm that owns Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership and the Masters golf match.
The corporate sued in 2017 to cease a golf memorabilia firm from auctioning off a champion’s inexperienced jacket and different gadgets it stated have been by no means supposed to go away the membership’s grounds.
Augusta Nationwide Inc. filed the federal lawsuit towards the Florida-based public sale firm looking 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 emblem.
