He Stole Yogi Berra's Rings, Then Melted Them

A trial is currently underway in Pennsylvania involving four men who prosecutors say worked in an unusual burglary ring: They allegedly preyed on small museums—particularly sports museums—for more than two decades in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. Five others already have pleaded guilty, including Tommy Trotta, who speaks to the Atlantic at length about the strange criminal niche he says the gang perfected. "From the summer of 2011 through late 2013, as gold prices hit record highs, Trotta's crew made nearly $500,000, more cash than they'd seen in their whole lives," writes Ariel Sabar. In the story, Trotta walks Sabar through multiple heists, including an audacious one in which he stole nine of Yogi Berra's 10 World Series rings in 2014.

Like many of their burglaries, the heist took place late at night in bad weather (rain) after methodical planning and a thorough casing of the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in Little Falls, New Jersey. With "a duffel bag of tools and dressed entirely in black," Trotta climbed onto a museum balcony and "cut through a double-reinforced window built to withstand foul balls from an adjoining stadium," writes Sabar. "Then he'd used a 20-volt DeWalt grinder, with a fire-rescue blade, to slice open a bulletproof display case labeled BASEBALL'S RING LEADER." And voila, the rings were his.

The crew's demise began in earnest in 2019 when Trotta was pulled over on a DUI, and DNA linked him to crime scenes. He began cooperating and says he now feels remorse about all those trophies and rings he stole. "I'm hated in the sports world," Trotta says. "I'm hated at a very deep level." As for those Berra rings, there was no happy ending. After the jewels were plucked out, the rings were melted down for gold. Read the full story, in which Berra's granddaughter is not in a forgiving mood. (Or check out other longform recaps.)