Augusta National worker gets prison term for Masters memorabilia theft

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A former employee of the Augusta National Golf Club was sentenced to one year in prison for stealing Masters golf tournament merchandise that he sold online for millions of dollars to online brokers over about 13 years.

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Richard Brendan Globensky, of Evans, Georgia, was sentenced Wednesday in Chicago federal court, where he pleaded guilty to the theft last year. Globensky also was ordered to pay more than $3.4 million in restitution to the golf club, which is located in Augusta, Georgia.

Among the items stolen were Green Jackets won by Masters champions Arnold Palmer, Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan, along with documents and letters signed by Bobby Jones, a top golfer from the 1920s, according to his plea agreement filed with the court.

He also took Masters programs, tickets and unissued Augusta National stock from the 1930s, along with an Augusta National clubhouse trophy, the government said.

Globensky, 40, admitted selling the stolen goods to an online broker in Florida for $5.3 million, according to the US attorney’s office. He spent the money on himself, including $160,000 for Walt Disney-themed vacations, $600,000 on a custom-built home and $370,000 to buy five vehicles and a motorboat, prosecutors said.

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