Golf Crime
Former Augusta National worker pleads guilty to stealing millions in Masters memorabilia, including Arnold Palmer's green jacket
Andrew Redington
A former Augusta National employee plead guilty to transporting millions of dollars worth of stolen Masters memorabilia and historic items on Wednesday. And some of those items are about as historic as you can get.
According to the Associated Press, the taken goods included green jackets awarded to Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen. There were other historical items including old Masters tickets, and various pieces of merchandise.
Georgia resident Richard Globensky entered the guilty plea in Chicago. The 39-year-old was charged in April with one count of transporting stolen goods.
Federal prosecutors said Globensky, who worked in the Augusta National warehouse, stole the items from the club from 2009 to 2022. And that the thefts cost the club more than $3 million while Globensky earned more than $5 million from a seller in Florida, who would mark the goods up even more.
Globensky didn't comment other than to confirm his guilty plea. His lawyer added that charges were filed in Chicago because that's where some of the stolen goods were recovered.
The AP reported Globensky will pay $1.5 million to the government within days as part of the plea deal. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison at his Oct. 29 sentencing hearing, but will likely receive closer to two years.