New Mexico man sentenced to prison for stealing Montana Historical Society documents; letters by wife of Western artist Charlie “C.M.” Russell

HELENA - A New Mexico man who admitted 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 on eBay for profit was sentenced today to six months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, and fined $4,000, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Brian Anthony D'Ambrosio, 50, of Sante Fe, New Mexico, pleaded guilty in July to theft of major artwork.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court also ordered $22,508 restitution. The court allowed D'Ambrosio to self-report to prison.

"D'Ambrosio's actions were intentional and calculated-designed to steal Montana's cultural treasures so he could profit. The Montana Historical Society, and all Montanans, were victims of D'Ambrosio's greed because these documents were deeply rooted in Montana history. Today, D'Ambrosio faced the consequences, and we hope this case serves as a deterrent to anyone considering similar criminal conduct," U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

The government in court documents said that D'Ambrosio's actions targeted artifacts that would reap large profits, including a document tied to world-famous Western artist Charles M. Russell, and included a statement from the Montana Historical Society Staff about the scope of the damage D'Ambrosio caused:

"The items stolen by you (D'Ambrosio) from the collections belong to the people of Montana, not to you for your selfish, greedy purposes. Your actions forced us to implement stricter rules regarding access and use of historical documents, which impacts all future researchers…. The emotional and financial impacts will be felt for generations."

The government alleged in court documents that D'Ambrosio, while claiming to conduct research at the Montana Historical Society, a museum located in Helena, stole items from the archives from about April 2022 to September 2023. The stolen items included letters written by Nancy Russell, the wife of renowned Western artist Charlie "C.M." Russell. The stolen items were more than 100 years old, were of cultural heritage and exceeded $5,000 in value. D'Ambrosio then sold and attempted 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 individual stealing the items from the Montana Historical Society and selling or attempting to sell the items on eBay for a profit, none of which was authorized.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The FBI Art Crime Team and Helena Police Department conducted the investigation.

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