Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Theft of Arnold Palmer's Green Jacket, Masters Items

The man responsible for transporting millions of dollars worth of stolen Masters memorabilia, including one of Arnold Palmer's green jackets, is owning up to his actions.

Per ESPN, Richard Globensky, a 39-year-old former warehouse assistant for the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of transporting goods knowing they had been stolen during his initial appearance in federal court in Chicago on Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Globensky operated a scheme for nearly a decade where he would take items from the warehouse and transport them to another party in Florida to be sold online. He made roughly $5 million from selling the historic items.

The memorabilia was stolen between 2009 and 2022 and included T-shirts, mugs and chairs as well as more significant items like green jackets and tickets to Masters tournaments from the 1930s.

"I plead guilty," Globensky told the judge on Wednesday.

Palmer's green jacket was recovered during a 2022 FBI operation in which a private sale for $3.6 million was arranged with the intention of retrieving it. Upon the sale, the jacket was seized and the buyer, collector and sellers were questioned by federal agents.

Globensky declined to speak to reporters after his court appearance on Wednesday, but his attorney, Thomas Church, said the case was being tried in Chicago because some of the stolen items were discovered in the area.

Globensky is facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, though he reportedly is likely looking at a two-year sentence under the current guidelines. Sentencing is expected to take place in late October.