Police: Pa. man tried to sell veteran grave markers for scrap

EBENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man was arrested in New York after authorities allege he tried to sell nearly 1,000 pounds of veteran grave markers believed to have been stolen from western Pennsylvania.

State police in New York say 29-year-old Ronald Cichinelli Jr. of Johnstown faces charges of criminal possession of stolen property.

Police said a Seneca County scrap yard reported that he offered for sale numerous brass veterans cemetery grave markers. The Cambria County veteran affairs office said some were stamped “Cambria County Ebensburg, PA.”

Cichinelli was taken to Seneca County jail in lieu of $40,000 bond, and police said he likely faces charges in Pennsylvania, where officials said such theft is a second-degree misdemeanor.

A listed number for Cichinelli couldn’t be found today, and it’s unclear whether he has an attorney.