A man has been charged in federal court in Illinois with transporting millions of dollars in Masters golf tournament merchandise and memorabilia stolen from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.
A document filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois accuses Richard Globensky of transporting the items across state lines to Tampa, Florida, “knowing that they had been stolen, converted and taken by fraud.”
The items were removed from the famous golf club and other locations from 2009 to 2022, according to the government.
Upon conviction, Globensky would have to forfeit any assets and money obtained from proceeds attributed to the stolen items, the government said.
The Associated Press was unable Wednesday to reach Globensky by phone using numbers listed in public records. Attorney Tom Church, listed in online court records as representing Globensky, did not immediately respond Wednesday to a voicemail and email.
Messages were also left Wednesday seeking comment from Augusta National and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Court records do not say whether Globensky worked for the golf club.
Augusta National is home to the legendary Masters golf tournament, held over the weekend and won by Scottie Scheffler.
For many fans, the opportunity to purchase exclusive merchandise that is not officially sold online is a key part of the Masters experience. In recent years, the garden gnome statues that debuted in 2016 have been a popular item. Even the logo-engraved cups – once empty of beer or other drinks – are a valuable souvenir that fans accumulate during the tournament.
In 2017, the Georgia company that owns Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters golf tournament filed a lawsuit to stop a golf memorabilia company from auctioning off a Masters champion’s green jacket and other items it said were never they should have left the club’s grounds. filed a federal lawsuit against the Florida-based auction company, seeking to stop it from selling a green champion jacket and two green member jackets, as well as silverware and a belt buckle with the map and flag logo of the Augusta National.
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Associated Press writer Kate Brumback in Atlanta and AP researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.
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