The federal government has charged a man who it says moved millions of dollars worth of stolen merchandise and memorabilia from Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, for more than a dozen years.
Richard Brendan Globensky is accused of transporting and transferring goods from 2009 until about 2022, according to federal charging documents. Federal prosecutors say that Globensky transported millions of dollars worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and historical memorabilia from Augusta, Georgia, to Tampa, Florida.
The government argues that Globensky knew the items were stolen when he transported them.
The Department of Justice requests that he forfeit “any property which constitutes and is derived from proceeds traceable to the offense, including a personal money judgment.”
The Chicago Tribune first reported that Globensky had been previously employed by the club as a warehouse coordinator.
The case has been filed in the Northern District of Illinois. When asked why it was filed in a jurisdiction outside Augusta or Tampa, officials with the DOJ said, “[w]e can’t comment on the case beyond what’s set forth in the charging document.” The Sheriff’s Office in Richmond County, which is where Augusta National Golf Club is, said it does do not “have any record of an arrest or investigation of subject Richard Globensky.”
Neither Globensky’s attorney nor Augusta National returned a request for comment on Thursday.
Globensky’s arraignment and change of plea hearing is set for May 15th in federal court in Illinois.
The charge comes days after Scottie Scheffler secured his second title at the 2024 Masters Tournament — and once again the merch shop was a big part of the “tradition unlike any other.” Attending the Masters is a one-in-a-lifetime experience for many golf enthusiasts, and Augusta National has many restrictions when it comes to purchasing merchandise and memorabilia.
The only way to purchase the official, branded merchandise is in-person at the golf shop on club propert. A Forbes article in 2022 reported that the Masters made nearly $70 million in merchandise sales in the week of the tournament — or about $10 million a day from selling items like golf hats and polos.
This year’s Masters “merch hauls” have gone viral on social media, with one user showing off her purchases and racking up over 700,000 views on TikTok.
Another TikTok user broke down the cost of some items, with a men’s polo costing $89 and hats costing about $32.
Cellphones are banned at the golf club, so there are few images of what the shop or lines look like during the tournament, but Golf.com reported the highest single purchase at the Masters Shop topped $30,000.
The post Man charged with moving Masters goods, memorabilia taken from Augusta National appeared first on NBC News.
