HELENA — An author of several books about Montana history was sentenced Monday for stealing and selling artifacts from the Montana Historical Society.
Brian D’Ambrosio of New Mexico was sentenced to six months in federal prison and ordered to pay $22,508 in restitution. Additionally, he was fined $4,000.
According to court documents, while D’Ambrosio was conducting research between April 2022 and December 2022, he took a number of items of historical value. These included more than 100-year-old letters written by Nancy Russell, the wife of renowned artist Charlie Russell, an 1889 Montana Constitution Convention flag and program, an early 1900s Ravalli County Sheriff’s card, and a 1905 letter from Centennial Brewing located in Butte. He then put the items on eBay to be sold.
The FBI used an undercover agent to contact D’Ambrosio seeking to purchase some of the alleged stolen items.
In June, D’Ambrosio pleaded guilty to felony theft of major artwork as part of a plea agreement that saw nine other counts dropped.
D'Ambrosio's lawyer had requested a sentence of five years probation. According to a press release from the Montana Historical Society, U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris in Helena said jail time was warranted due to the severity of the crime.
“I appreciate the personal struggles in your life but in my experience trauma in a life doesn’t equate … (to doing this) over and over again at a historical society,” Morris said. “When someone does something stupid it’s usually a one-time thing. But this happened over and over again; how does tragedy in your life translate to your actions at the historical society?”
MTHS Board of Trustees President Tim Fox said in a statement he was satisfied with the sentence.
“Every item in our archives is a treasure of immeasurable value to our great state and its people,” Fox said. “D’Ambrosio’s egregious and outrageous crimes violate all sense of decency and trust. A hallmark of our society is that libraries, museums, and archives are open and accessible to the public. The defendant violated that trust, committing these crimes for personal gain, profit and prestige.”
MTHS reports some of the items were returned and they are trying to recover the remaining stolen items. The incident has also left staff with questions of trust and balancing access for future researchers.
“This damage goes beyond the walls of the Montana Historical Society’s Library and Archives; museums around the country are asking themselves – again – how to balance access and trust when a trusted researcher becomes a common thief,” MTHS Director Molly Kruckenberg said in a statement. “Rest assured; we are working diligently to restore the trust Brian D’Ambrosio selfishly took from us. But we will never forget what he did.”
