A man has been charged in federal court in Illinois in the transport of millions of dollars worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and memorabilia stolen from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.
A document filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois accuses Richard Globensky of transporting the items across state lines to Tampa, Florida, “knowing the same had been stolen, converted and taken by fraud.”
The items were taken from the famous golf club and other locations beginning in 2009 through 2022, according to the government.
Upon conviction, Globensky would have to forfeit any property and cash attained from proceeds traced to the stolen items, the government said.
The Associated Press was unable Wednesday to reach Globensky by phone using numbers listed in public records. Lawyer Tom Church, who’s listed in online court records as representing Globensky, did not immediately respond Wednesday to a voicemail and an email.
A message was also left Wednesday seeking comment from Augusta National.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office said he did not have any information on why the case was filed in Illinois.
Court records do not say whether Globensky worked for the golf club.
Augusta National is the home of the legendary Masters golf tournament, which was held over the weekend and won by Scottie Scheffler.
For many fans, the chance to buy exclusive merchandise that’s not officially sold online is a key part of the Masters experience. In recent years, gnome garden statues that debuted in 2016 have been a hot-ticket item. Even logo-etched cups — once emptied of beer or other drinks — are a prized souvenir fans pile up through the tournament.
In 2017, the Georgia company that owns Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters golf tournament sued to stop a golf memorabilia company from auctioning off a Masters champion’s green jacket and other items it says were never supposed to have left the club’s grounds. Augusta National Inc. filed the federal lawsuit against the Florida-based auction company seeking to stop it from selling a champion’s green jacket and two member green jackets, as well as silverware and a belt buckle bearing Augusta National’s map and flag logo.
Associated Press writer Kate Brumback in Atlanta and AP researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.
A sign is posted closing the golf shop line during a practice round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. Richard Globensky has been charged in federal court in Illinois in the transport of millions of dollars worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and memorabilia stolen from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, according to court documents filed Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The items were taken from the famous golf club and other locations beginning in 2009 through 2022, according to the government. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
FILE - The clubhouse of the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., is seen in this Sunday, April 3, 2005, file photo. Richard Globensky has been charged in federal court in Illinois in the transport of millions of dollars worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and memorabilia stolen from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, according to court documents filed Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The items were taken from the famous golf club and other locations beginning in 2009 through 2022, according to the government. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)
DENVER (AP) — Anthony Edwards was seeing double everywhere he turned. All by design as the Denver Nuggets doubled the attention on Minnesota's standout guard.
It was yet another wrinkle for the Nuggets, who held Edwards to 18 points — 15 below his average in this series — in their 112-97 win over the Timberwolves on Tuesday night in Game 5.
“We knew we had to do something different with Anthony Edwards. That guy is just a one-man wrecking crew,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “We trapped him. We double-teamed him. We flew around behind him.”
They exhausted him, too.
Because in addition to feeling the constant pressure to carry the offensive load, Edwards was applying the pressure on defense in an effort to make things difficult for Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.
“Getting in the best shape of my life,” cracked Edwards, whose team has dropped three in a row in the series. “So it’s fun.”
The Nuggets dared anyone not named Edwards to beat them as they took a 3-2 lead in the second-round series with a chance to close out the Timberwolves on Thursday night in Minneapolis. The strategy worked, in part, because Anthony had fewer clear looks at the basket. The Timberwolves were also missing Mike Conley, who was ruled out before the game with soreness in his right Achilles.
“They’re just playing better than us right now,” Edwards said. “They’re playing harder than us. They’re getting all the loose balls. Everything's going their way. They've got the momentum, man. We’ve got to figure out a way to shift it back our way.”
Karl-Anthony Towns had a solid night despite appearing to tweak his left knee in the first half, finishing with 23 points. Rudy Gobert, too, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds. But by keeping Edwards in check on 5-of-15 shooting, the Nuggets limited the damage and built a lead that stretched to as many as 18 points.
With so much attention surrounding him, Edwards resorted to passing and finished with a team-high nine assists. But it was his instant offense the Timberwolves were in desperate need of late in the game. He had four points in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve got to do a better job making it easier for him,” Towns said of Edwards. “It’s about executing at a higher level. The guys in the other locker room here are executing at a championship level in these last three games. They’ve shown when you’re executing at that level what the results will be.”
So dominant on defense in the first two games, winning two in a row in Denver by keeping the Nuggets under 100 points, the Timberwolves have found it tougher to contain the connected Nuggets ever since. Denver has averaged 114.7 points over its last three games.
“Their guys are making shots,” Edwards said.
Especially three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who had 40 points on 15-of-22 shooting. He also had 13 assists and no turnovers.
“He’s the best player in NBA,” Edwards said. "He was special tonight. I’ve got to give him his flowers. He was that guy tonight.”
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Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, front, looks to drive to the basket as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards defends during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Denver (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, right, collects the ball while fending off Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Denver (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., front, is defended by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Denver (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, front, and coach Chris Finch sit on the bench during a timeout late in the second half of Game 5 of the team's NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Denver (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
