CHICAGO — A former Georgia warehouse worker at Augusta National Golf Club was sentenced to a year in prison Wednesday for transporting millions of dollars worth of stolen Masters Tournament memorabilia, including one of Arnold Palmer’s iconic green jackets.
Richard Glensky, 40, pleaded guilty last year to one count of transporting stolen goods across state boundaries. He appeared in a suit and a red tie at a federal courthouse in Chicago on Wednesday. His parents and wife sat in the courtroom behind him and he apologised for his actions before our district judge Sharon Johnson Coleman served his sentence.
“I deeply regret the decision that led me to this moment,” he said, his voice broke. “I take full responsibility for my actions and I continue to be committed to doing everything on my own to make corrections.”
Glensky and his lawyers did not respond to reporters’ questions when they left federal court.
Under this ruling, he will have to pay more than $3 million in reparations and face a year of supervised release.
Federal prosecutors had sought a 16-month sentence, but the defense attorney wanted probation.
According to prosecutors, Grovenski photographed the items from the warehouse for a Florida seller. Globalensky was paid through a limited liability company set in his wife’s name. The scheme lasted over a decade and won over $5 million.
“The violation of trust was very serious and continuous,” U.S. lawyer Brian Hayes told court.
Still, he noted how Globalnsky cooperated in the ongoing investigation and provided text messages between him and third parties. Court documents identify third parties only as “personal A” and together with the associate’s “personal B.” Hayes said Glengunsky also preemptively sold his home, giving the government revenue.
Items stolen between 2009 and 2022 included historic memorabilia such as t-shirts, mugs and chairs, including tickets to the Masters Tournament of the 1930s. Among the legendary stolen green jackets were won by Palmer, Ben Hogan and Jean Sarazen.
The trial was in downtown courthouse as some of the stolen items were recovered in the Chicago area.
Globalsky, who has been working in a warehouse since 2007, secretly takes photos and sends them to Florida-based sellers. Globalsky then sneaked in items they were interested in, and, according to court documents, took small quantities to avoid the risk of Augusta National’s audit practices. Items were hidden in offsite storage facilities and shipped.
Prosecutors say the money was used to fund a gorgeous lifestyle, including $370,000 to buy vehicles and boats, $160,000 for Disney-themed holidays and $32,000 for Louis Vuitton items, according to court documents released earlier this month.
In court, Glensky’s defense attorney, Thomas Church, said it was not uncommon for employees to take items from warehouses from time to time, and his clients expressed regret and said it was not generally dangerous.
“This is not the case he went and broke into the safe. He didn’t manipulate the data or access electronic data,” the church told the court, explaining that his client saw an opportunity to take items that were destroyed or not sold.
Prosecutors said the total loss to Augusta National was more than $3 million.
An Augusta National spokesperson asked for comment Wednesday pointed to a victim’s impact statement filed in court during the hearing.
“A few years ago, a former Augusta national employee was so disappointed that he learned that his achievements in clubs, tournaments and even golf matches betrayed that principle and our trust by stealing from many legends that everyone respects,” the Augusta national said in a letter. In short, employees made great personal profits without considering the impact his selfishness had on the club, players, tournaments and his fellow employees. ”
Palmer, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 87, won four green jackets. He introduced golf to the public and is widely believed to have hit ceremonial tee shots at the Masters every year after quitting playing in the 2004 tournament.
Getting tickets to the Masters gives fans the opportunity to purchase exclusive items that are not officially sold online. However, the Green Jacket is particularly protected by the Georgia Company, which owns Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters.
The company sued in 2017 to stop golf commemorative companies from auctioning items, including the Champion Green Jacket.
Augusta National Inc. has filed a federal lawsuit against the Florida-based auction company trying to stop the sale of the Champion green jacket and two-member green jackets along with other items.