After a series of crimes that has lasted for decades: a 78-year-old thief has to go to jail for one day

United States
After a series of crimes that has lasted for decades: a 78-year-old thief has to go to jail for one day

“Profit wasn’t his motivation,” says the 78-year-old’s lawyer. (Symbol image)

For decades he stole antiques from museums. A court sentenced the 78-year-old to one day in prison and a fine.

For decades he stole antiques from museums. Now 78-year-old Thomas G. has been sentenced to one day in prison after he was caught trying to sell a rare rifle from the US Revolutionary War. The BBC reports. When questioned, he admitted dozen other robberies from the 1960s and 1970s. The Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to stealing from a museum in July.

This was an antique rifle, which was made by Christian Oerter in 1775, and which he had stolen from the Valley Forge State Park Museum in 1971. The rifle is one of only two rifles of its kind that are known to have been preserved with their original flint mechanism and bear the manufacturer’s name, place and date of manufacture. It is valued at over $ 175,000.

“Stealing an artifact from a museum is a serious federal offense”

The FBI tracked down the 78-year-old after trying to sell the rifle and other stolen items to an antique dealer in 2018. “Stealing an artifact from a museum – literally a piece of American history – is a serious federal offense,” said US Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams in a statement. “After four decades, justice has finally caught up with these defendants.”

In addition to one day behind bars, Thomas G. was sentenced to three years in custody, including one year of house arrest, as well as a fine of $ 25,000 and compensation of $ 23,385.


On March 30, 2020, a thief steals a Van Gogh painting from the Singer-Laren Museum in the Netherlands.

Many thefts have already expired

When questioned by the FBI in February 2020, Thomas G. admitted that he had stolen the rifle and other antique rifles from museums of the 18th and 19th centuries across the state. However, the judge found this week that many of the thefts had already expired. In other cases, the stolen items are worth less than the $ 5,000 required for federal charges.

In court, the 78-year-old, now sitting in a wheelchair, did not explain his thefts on Tuesday, but expressed his remorse. “I apologize for all the trouble,” he said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I never really thought about it then, and now everything has come to light.”

“Profit wasn’t his motivation”

His lawyer described Thomas G. as a “collector of all kinds of old things” and pointed out that his barn was “crammed full” with antique objects. “Whether you consider him a collector or a hoarder, profit was not his motivation,” said the lawyer.

source: BBC

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