CHICAGO (AP) 鈥 A former Georgia warehouse worker for the Augusta 春色直播 Golf Club was sentenced to one year in prison Wednesday for transporting millions of dollars鈥 worth of stolen Masters tournament memorabilia, including one of Arnold Palmer鈥檚 iconic green jackets.
Richard Globensky, 40, last year to one count of across state lines. He appeared Wednesday in Chicago's federal court wearing a suit and red tie. With his parents and wife seated in the courtroom behind him, he apologized for his actions before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman handed down the sentence.
鈥淚 deeply regret the decision that led me to this moment,鈥 he said, his voice breaking. 鈥淚 have taken full responsibility for my actions and remain committed to doing everything in my power to make amends.鈥
Globensky and his attorney did not respond to reporters鈥 questions as they left federal court.
Under the sentence, he will also have to pay more than $3 million in restitution and face one year of supervised release.
Federal prosecutors had sought a 16-month sentence, while defense attorneys wanted probation.
Globensky took items from the warehouse for sellers in Florida, who then sold them online at a markup, according to prosecutors. Globensky was paid through a limited liability company set up in his wife鈥檚 name, among other ways. The scheme lasted for more than a decade, earning him over $5 million.
鈥淭he violation of trust was very serious and ongoing,鈥 Brian Hayes, an assistant U.S. attorney, said in court.
Still, he noted how Globensky cooperated in the ongoing investigation, providing text messages between him and a third-party. Court documents only identify the third party as 鈥淚ndividual A,鈥 along with an associate 鈥淚ndividual B.鈥 Hayes said Globensky also preemptively sold his house and gave the proceeds to the government.
The items, which were stolen between 2009 and 2022, included such historic memorabilia as tickets to Masters tournaments in the 1930s, as well as T-shirts, mugs and chairs, according to prosecutors. Among the stolen legendary green jackets were those won by Palmer, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
Some of the stolen goods were recovered in the Chicago area, which is why the court case was at the downtown courthouse.
Globensky, who had worked at the warehouse since 2007, would secretly photograph items and send them to a Florida-based seller. Globensky would then sneak out items that they were interested in, taking small quantities to avoid the risk of Augusta 春色直播鈥檚 auditing practices, according to court documents. Items were hidden in an offsite storage facility and shipped.
Prosecutors say the money was used to fund a luxurious lifestyle, including $370,000 to buy vehicles and a boat, $160,000 for Disney-themed vacations and $32,000 for items at Louis Vuitton, according to court documents made public earlier this month.
In court, Globensky鈥檚 defense attorney, Thomas Church, said it wasn鈥檛 uncommon for employees to occasionally take items from the warehouse, his client had expressed remorse and wasn鈥檛 a danger to the public.
鈥淭his is not a case where he went and broke into any vaults. He didn鈥檛 manipulate any data or access any electronic data,鈥 Church said in court, explaining that his client saw the opportunity to take items that were set to be destroyed or weren鈥檛 selling.
The total loss to Augusta 春色直播 was more than $3 million, according to prosecutors.
An Augusta 春色直播 spokesman asked for comment Wednesday pointed to a victim impact statement submitted to the court during the hearing.
鈥淲e were severely disappointed to learn several years ago that a former Augusta 春色直播 employee betrayed that principle, and our trust, by stealing from the Club, Tournament and even a number of legends whose accomplishments at the Masters and in the game of golf are revered by all,鈥 Augusta 春色直播 said in the letter. 鈥淚n short, the employee made significant personal gain with no regard for the impact his selfishness would have on the Club, players, the Tournament, and his fellow employees.鈥
Augusta 春色直播 hosts the annual Masters golf tournament each year in April, which last year.
Palmer, at age 87, won four green jackets. He鈥檚 widely credited with introducing golf to the masses and hit the ceremonial tee shot every year at the Masters for years after he stopped playing in the tournament in 2004.
Getting a ticket to the Masters also gives fans the chance to buy exclusive merchandise that鈥檚 not officially sold online. But the green jackets are particularly guarded by the Georgia company that owns Augusta 春色直播 Golf Club and the Masters golf tournament.
The company from auctioning off items, including a champion鈥檚 green jacket.
Augusta 春色直播 Inc. filed a federal lawsuit against the Florida-based auction company seeking to stop it from selling a champion鈥檚 green jacket and two member green jackets, along with other items.
