Arnold Palmer's green jacket among Masters Tournament items stolen in theft admitted to in Chicago

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A Georgia man admitted in Chicago’s federal court Wednesday that he stole merchandise and historic memorabilia from Augusta National Golf Club — including Arnold Palmer’s green Masters Tournament jacket — in a $5.6 million scheme lasting more than a decade.

Richard Globensky, 39, also admitted that he took green tournament jackets that belonged to Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen and an Augusta National clubhouse trophy. Globensky pleaded guilty to one criminal charge for which he faces a maximum of 10 years behind bars.

However, prosecutors say federal sentencing guidelines call for a sentence of up to 2 ½ years in prison.

Augusta National Golf Club is home to the Masters golf tournament.

Globensky entered his plea in the 12th-floor courtroom of U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. He was initially charged here last month in a barebones document that revealed hardly any details about the accusations against him.

The court proceedings Wednesday still shed little light on why the case is being prosecuted in Chicago. Globensky’s Georgia-based attorney, Thomas Church, told reporters after the hearing that some of the stolen items were recovered here.

“We look forward to telling the full story at sentencing,” Church said. That hearing is set for Oct. 29.

Globensky told Coleman he is unemployed but recently worked for UPS. He also once worked as a warehouse assistant for Augusta National Golf Club, which stored its merchandise on its grounds in Georgia. Globensky began working for the club in 2007.

Globensky admitted to Coleman on Wednesday that he began stealing “large quantities” of merchandise from the club’s warehouse in 2009 — including T-shirts, jackets, hats, flags, chairs, watches and mugs.

He then sold the merchandise to another individual who ran two online businesses based in Florida that specialized in selling and auctioning Masters Tournament merchandise, according to Globensky’s 25-page plea agreement.

The person who ran the Florida businesses was identified in the document only as “Individual A.”

That person would regularly request specific types of merchandise from Globenksy, who would then photograph the items before negotiating a sales price and coordinating delivery, the document said.

Globensky stored the stolen merchandise at an off-site facility, according to the plea deal. He covered up the theft by stealing quantities that fell below auditing risk thresholds and by having payments made in the name of his wife and, later, a business he used only for that purpose.

The theft of historic memorabilia involved another unnamed individual — an associate of the person who ran the Florida businesses, the plea agreement said.

Among the items stolen and later sold were the green jackets belonging to Palmer, Hogan and Sarazen, tournament programs from 1934 and 1935, tickets from the 1930s, tournament records from 1942, a 2009 commemorative putter, an Augusta National unissued share of stock from 1932 signed by Fielding Wallace, and documents and letters written and signed by Bobby Jones.

Globensky was paid $5.6 million for the items over 13 years, and he acknowledged he is responsible for a loss to Augusta National of about $3.4 million, according to the plea deal.