Richard Globensky, a former warehouse assistant for the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to transporting stolen Masters tournament memorabilia and historic items, including one of Arnold Palmer’s iconic green jackets. The 39-year-old was charged with one count of transporting goods knowing they had been stolen. He reportedly took items from the warehouse and sold them online at a significant markup through sellers in Florida, earning more than $5 million over a decade. As part of the plea deal, he must write a $1.5 million cashier’s check to the government and faces a maximum 10-year prison term, though he is likely to receive a shorter sentence.
Prosecutors stated that the stolen items, which were taken between 2009 and 2022, included green jackets, tickets to Masters tournaments dating back to the 1930s, T-shirts, mugs, chairs, and other memorabilia. Among the stolen green jackets were those won by Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen. Globensky, who had worked at the warehouse since 2007, would secretly photograph items and send them to sellers in Florida, sneaking out small quantities to avoid detection by Augusta National’s auditing practices. The stolen items were hidden in an offsite storage facility and shipped to the sellers.
The total loss to Augusta National was estimated to be over $3 million, according to prosecutors. Globensky declined to comment to reporters after the hearing, and his attorney, Thomas Church, stated that since some of the stolen goods were recovered in the Chicago area, the case was being tried there. While no one else has been charged in the case, prosecutors mentioned that Globensky is cooperating in the ongoing investigation. He was originally charged in April with transporting stolen tournament merchandise and memorabilia to Florida, but the court records did not specify the items taken from the golf club.
Augusta National hosts the annual Masters golf tournament, which was most recently won by Scottie Scheffler. Arnold Palmer, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 87, had won four green jackets during his career and was known for popularizing golf. The green jackets, which are exclusive to Masters winners, are highly coveted and closely guarded by Augusta National Golf Club. The company that owns the club and the Masters tournament sued a golf memorabilia company in 2017 to prevent the auctioning off of a champion’s green jacket and other items that were not meant to leave the club’s grounds.
