A New Mexico man accused of stealing 100-year-old items, including letters by the wife of Western artist Charlie “C.M.” Russell, from the Montana Historical Society and selling them for a profit on eBay admitted Tuesday to a theft crime, authorities said.
Brian D’Ambrosio
Brian Anthony D’Ambrosio, 49, of Santa Fe pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Great Falls to theft of major artwork, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release, authorities said.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris set sentencing for Nov. 13. D’Ambrosio’s release was continued pending further proceedings. Morris will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
The government alleged in court documents that D’Ambrosio, while claiming to do research at the Montana Historical Society in Helena, stole items from the archives from about April 2022 to September 2023.
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They included letters written by Nancy Russell, the wife of renowned Western artist Charlie “C.M.” Russell. They were more than 100 years old, were of cultural heritage and exceeded $5,000 in value, officials said.
Other items included a 1926 Crow Indian program on the 50th anniversary of the Custer Fight, a 1905 Centennial Brewing letter from Bozeman, and an 1889 Montana Society of the Framers of the Constitution flag and program.
D’Ambrosio then sold and tried to sell the stolen items for profit on eBay.
An undercover FBI agent posed as a would-be purchaser to confirm D’Ambrosio was the person stealing the items from the Montana Historical Society and selling or trying to sell the items on eBay for a profit, none of which was authorized.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Montana is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Helena Police Department conducted the investigation.
“We appreciate the work of the U.S. Attorney’s office in this matter, and anticipate that justice will be served,” Eve Byron, public information officer for the Montana Historical Society, said in an email.
D’Ambrosio has written several Montana-themed books such as “Montana Murders,” “Montana Entertainers,” “Shot in Montana,” “Montana and the NFL” and “Montana Eccentrics: A Collection of Extraordinary Montanans, Past & Present.”
Some of his work has appeared in Lee Newspapers.
Staff Writer Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021 or at phil.drake@helenair.com.
