Indictment in robbery spree that included 3 Sussex museums leaves 'bittersweet' feeling

The indictment of a group of men in a robbery spree that included several Sussex County museums left a "bittersweet" feeling, said the president of one museum.

The targeted locations included the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, Space Farms Zoo & Museum in Wantage and the Franklin Mineral Museum in Franklin.

The group stole over $1,430,000 worth of items collectively from the Sussex-based museums. Among the stolen items were three unique firearms with a combined worth of $1 million and $400,000 worth of gold nuggets, the Department of Justice said.

The alleged suspects transported the stolen items to northeastern Pennsylvania, where they melted the goods into metal disks and bars. The raw metals were sold throughout the New York City area, the indictment said.

William Kroth, the current board president at the Sterling Hill Mining Museum, acknowledged the mixed emotions that have come with the news of the indictments.

"It's bittersweet that we have some closure on it now," Kroth said. "It's a sad part of our history, but it could have been worse. People could have gotten hurt."

Kroth explained that since the burglary, the museum has taken extra precautions to protect its collections. This includes the addition of security cameras to the property and investing in thicker glass for display cases.

Representatives of Space Farms Zoo & Museum and Franklin Mineral Museum could not be reached for comment.

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The burglaries were part of a much larger network of thefts that took place across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island and North Dakota over the span of 20 years. Investigation of the matter included the involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Included in the spree was the 2014 break-in at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in Little Falls. Over $1,000,000 worth of memorabilia, including nine World Series rings and two MVP plaques, was stolen from the museum, which is at Montclair State University.

The alleged burglars are charged with conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment or disposal or objects of cultural heritage and interstate transportation of stolen property.

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Sussex County NJ museum president talks robbery indictment