FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Fort Lauderdale police arrested a man they say stole nearly a half-million dollars-worth of Olympic memorabilia -- most of which once belonged to Johnny Weissmuller, who eventually went on to play "Tarzan" in the movies.

Weissmuller was an Olympic gold medal winner in 1924 and 1928, before he became a Tarzan movie star. Clarence "Buster" Crabbe won one of the other stolen medals. Crabbe also went on to Hollywood and is known for his roles as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, as well as Tarzan.

Last Thursday, police arrested 48-year-old Paul Nicholas Cristow (aka Joseph Mancino), of Fort Lauderdale. Cristow had been temporarily employed at the Hall of Fame doing janitorial duties. Investigators believe he stole the items over the period of a few months.

Missing Medals End Up On eBay

Robert Duenkel, curator for the International Swimming Hall of Fame, first noticed Olympic medals missing from a museum case Dec. 4.

Police said at about the same time, Cristow had taken the medals to a coin dealer to try to sell them. Cristow reportedly said he was an attorney named Sylvio Decalvacante. He said he was liquidating an estate of a family who wished to remain anonymous. The store took the items in on consignment, and attempted to sell them on eBay.

Jeffery Ensminger, a memorabilia dealer in North Carolina, bought some of the medals, and realizing they should have been in the Hall of Fame, he called to inquire why they had been sold, and found out they were stolen.

With help from Ensminger and the dealer from coin store, police zeroed in on Cristow. Marty Bookston, from Double Eagle Rare Coins, agreed to set up a meeting with Cristow to discuss purchasing the remaining items that he was "liquidating."

More Memorabilia Still Missing

Approximately half of the stolen items have been recovered.

Detectives are attempting to locate and recover the remaining items and are additionally requesting the public's assistance.

If anyone has heard of or seen such items, which include all types of Olympic water-related event medals, trophies, ribbons, they are asked to call Detective Machurick at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department at (954) 828-5898.

The loss of these items is valued between $400,000 and $500,000, and possibly more if sold individually to collectors.

Cristow is being held on $40,000 bond. He is charged with two counts of Grand Theft over $100,000 and two counts of dealing in stolen property.