Dutch Art Heist, Rotters Rob Rotterdam Reading Girl In October Surprise.............. Update !!

Rotterdam has Eleven Street Gangs involved in crime, a big Turkish Criminal element as well as attracting Eastern European members of the so-called Pink Panthers, Irish Traveller Rhino Horn thieves and the usual drug dealing criminals, Take you Pick. Stolen Triton Art from the Kunsthal Museum Could be traded for drugs from Ah Kong, the shadowy historic Oriental Criminal Grouping.

Matisse missing top right

 

Monet and Picasso among Seven works stolen from Dutch museum

Paintings by artists including Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Gauguin and Freud have been stolen from a museum in Rotterdam.
Seven paintings by some of the world's most famous artists have been stolen from an exhibition in the Netherlands.
They were a Picasso, a Matisse, and two Monets, a Freud, a Gauguin, and a de Haan.

The stolen works are Picasso's 1971 "Harlequin Head"; Monet's 1901 "Waterloo Bridge, London" and "Charing Cross Bridge, London"; Henri Matisse's 1919 "Reading Girl in White and Yellow"; Paul Gauguin's 1898 "Girl in Front of Open Window"; Meyer de Haan's "Self-Portrait," around 1890, and Lucian Freud's 2002 work "Woman with Eyes Closed."

Police in the Netherlands said the works were taken from the Kunsthal Museum early on Tuesday morning.
The museum is showing works from the Triton Foundation as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations.
 The Triton Foundation is a collection of avant-garde art put together by multimillionaire Willem Cordia, an investor and businessman who died last year.

The paintings include Monet's Waterloo Bridge, Picasso's Tete d'Arlequin, Matisse's La Liseuse en Blanc et Jaune and Freud's Woman with Eyes Closed.
Museum spokeswoman Patricia Wessels told the AFP news agency that police were alerted during the night when the alarm went off but that the thief, or thieves, had left the premises by the time police arrived.
Dutch police said the robbery took place at around 03.00 AM (01.00 GMT).
The other stolen paintings are Monet's Charing Cross Bridge, Gaugin's Femme Devant une Fenetre Ouverte, dite La Fiancee and Meyer de Hann's Autoportrait.
"An initial investigation suggests that the robbery was well prepared," a police statement read.
Police are now reviewing videotape footage and calling on any witnesses to come forward.

In a statement, the museum's chairman Willem van Hassel said the museum would be closed on Tuesday.
The Triton Foundation is a collection of avant-garde art and the Kunsthal exhibition was showing its works by more than 150 famed artists, including Paul Cezanne, Salvador Dali, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.
Although some of the foundation's works have been on public display in the past, the current exhibition at the Kunsthal was the first time the entire collection had been shown together.
The Kunsthal museum, which means "art gallery" in Dutch, is a display space that has no permanent collection of its own.

A spokeswoman for detectives on the case, Willemieke Romijn, said Wednesday they have some 15 tips from the public, following a late-night, nationally televised appeal for witnesses to the theft from the Kunsthal gallery of works by celebrated artists including Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet and Henri Matisse.
Romijn tells The Associated Press detectives also are studying video surveillance images of the night of the break-in.
Police on Tuesday focused their attention on a rear door that thieves most likely used to get into the gallery before snatching the paintings.

 Update:

Thieves who stole seven paintings from a Rotterdam museum took advantage of an automatic door-unlocking system, the museum has acknowledged.
The Kunsthal museum was responding to criticism after thieves broke in last week and grabbed works worth millions by Picasso, Matisse and Monet, among others.
The museum said in a statement Monday it uses an electronic locking system that is activated after an alarm is triggered, but deactivates again shortly afterward for safety reasons. The thieves waited until the electronic system deactivated, broke a physical lock on an emergency door, and were in and out in less than two minutes. Police arrived in five.
Spokesman Olivier Morot said he couldn't comment further. Police are still analyzing tips and clues in the Oct. 16 heist and have no suspects.

The  heist of paintings including a Picasso and Monets from a Dutch museum could be linked to the seizure of eight tonnes of cocaine in Belgium days earlier, a security expert said.
"A senior police officer called me with the theory that the theft was linked to drug trafficking," Ton Cremers, a former head of security at the world-famous Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, told AFP.
The paintings, worth between 50 million and 200 million euros according to different estimates, may have been taken to repay an underworld debt resulting from the seizure of the massive amount of cocaine in Antwerp just four days earlier.
"It's just a theory," said Cremers, now a museum security consultant, but "the possibility is great."
"In 20 years of this job I have observed very close links between art and drug trafficking," he said.
Cremers declined to say what nationality the police source was, except that it was neither Dutch nor Belgian.
The cocaine seized in the Belgian port city of Antwerp had a street value of 500 million euros ($650 million), one of the biggest hauls ever made in Europe.
Detectives followed the suspected traffickers across the border to Rotterdam where a Belgian trucker was arrested along with four Dutch men.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2012/10/22/4257647/thieves-gamed-security-systems.html#storylink=cpy

Art Hostage Comments:

Rob Meeson, above, in the frame !!

Art Hostage has been told by an Underworld source the frames may be close by, discarded as they may have tracker devices attached. The vehicle used, possibly a van may have been abandoned without it being torched, so clues could still be available.
More to follow..................

Update:

 Art Hostage Confirmed  leads:

(1) Triton Seven Held (Art) Hostage for release of Jailed Pink Panther members and revenge for the sting that saw Paul Cezanne stolen from Buhrle Collection recovered in Belgrade Serbia earlier this year. The Triton Seven used as get out of Jail free card.

(2) Members of Corsican mafia, Brise de Mer, the Valinco gang, the Venzolasca gang, and the Corsican mob of Marseille.

(3) Drug bust left major debt owed so Triton Seven stolen art used as collateral to cover the debt and receive new drug consignment.

(4) Rathkeale Rovers, Irish Travellers responsible for Rhino Thefts across Europe may have hit Rotterdam, Kunsthal Museum. They are allegedly affiliated to the two Irish men arrested in Switzerland with e120,000 in fakes notes with a Polish driver and also affiliated to thieves who robbed the Fitzwilliam Museum in the UK of 18 pieces of Chinese Jade.

(5) Whilst pursuing the Triton art stolen from the Rotterdam, Kunsthal Museum, Police may come across a stolen Tamara de Lempicka taken some time ago sources reveal.

(6) Lawyer Arthur Van der Biezen, above, could possibly help recover the Triton stolen art but was arrested last time he organized the recovery of some previously stolen artworks in Holland back in September 2008, when a group of stolen paintings taken from The Frans Hals Museum, including Jan Steen's "The Quack" were recovered by Police in a sting operation. Arthur Van der Biezen was arrested but charges were later dropped. He was at the time the lawyer for Underworld Godfather Willem Holleeder. However, this experience had left Arthur Van der Biezen bitter and he has refused so far to talk about, or even speculate if he could help recover the Triton Seven.

(7) Thieves who were caught with the stolen Frans Hals "Laughing Boys" painting last October 28th 2011 by Police in a sting operation could be behind the Kunsthal Museum heist to bargain down their possible jail-time,  just revealed to Art Hostage.

These have all been offered to Art Hostage by Underworld sources and further inquiries are continuing.

Singalong Time !!!

Rotterdam or Anywhere, Liverpool or Rome, Art Theft Has No Borders. The Beautiful South, Home of Art Hostage !!

 

Stolen Art Watch, Jewel & Art Crime, A Snapshot

Thief who stole $10 mln in valuables arrested in Beirut

BEIRUT: Police have arrested a thief who stole $10 million in valuables from safes across Lebanon.
A statement released Tuesday by the Internal Security Forces said judicial police in Beirut’s southern suburb managed to apprehend a 48-year-old Syrian national who was identified by his initials M.D.
It said a quantity of looted items – jewelry, precious stones, precious watches, antiques, cell phones, pistols and cash – were confiscated from the burglar. They were estimated at $10 million.
“Under interrogation, he confessed that he heads a gang of robbers that has stolen 24 safes from homes and commercial enterprises,” the police statement added.
It said police were in pursuit of the other gang members.
M.D. was referred to relevant judicial authorities and the stolen items were returned to their owners, ISF said.

Thousands of pounds worth of jewellery stolen in raid

 RAIDERS struck at a house in Godshill and stole thousands of pounds worth of jewellery.

Thieves forced the back door open and ransacked the property before stealing a safe, containing a significant amount of expensive jewellery, including a Cartier watch, Dior earrings, Art Deco watch and 12.5 carat diamond.
Other items stolen include a 27 carat diamond necklace containing different shaped diamonds, earrings and other necklaces.
Detectives in the New Forest are investigating the burglary, which happened between 6pm and 10pm on Wednesday, September 26.

 The stolen jewels include one-off items that will not be easy to dispose of, say police.
Investigating officers are appealing to jewellers and other traders to be wary of anyone who makes contact with them offering to sell expensive-looking jewellery.
A Hampshire Police spokesman said: “Officers are also appealing for public assistance in helping them to identify the offenders.
“Has anyone been to the area of Godshill recently and seen a vehicle or people in suspicious circumstances?
“Did anyone pass through the village of Godshill and see a vehicle arrive or leave the area in a hurry?
“Has someone offered you expensive jewellery for sale or has someone you know suddenly shown you some expensive jewellery?”
 
Police are advising householders to use timer switches to activate lights in the house or to activate radios or televisions to give the impression that someone is at home.
As the nights are drawing in, residents are being reminded to pull the curtains or blinds to prevent people looking into their homes from outside.

Centuries-old Japanese scroll stolen from home in Delta

Family hopes the heirloom will be found

 DELTA (NEWS1130) - Delta Police are hoping you'll keep an eye out for a piece of valuable art that may end up sold online or at a flea market.

Constable Ciaran Feenan says a 200-year-old Japanese "Kakejiku" wall hanging scroll -- a family heirloom -- was stolen from a home during a break-in mid-August.

"We believe that it has quite a significant value to it. A dollar figure, I don't know. However, we think that the value is more for the family and what it means to them," says Feenan.

It was stolen from a home on Sunwood Drive near 64th Avenue.

The scroll is about six feet tall and two feet wide. It has wood on the top and bottom; the rest is made of thick Japanese paper. Oil paint depicts a landscape scene with a man looking up at a mountain. On the bottom left corner, Japanese characters are stamped in red ink.

If you know where the scroll is, you're asked to call Delta Police at (604) 946-4411 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. 

£50,000 of jewellery and currency stolen in Sutton

 Burglars stole a safe containing £50,000 worth of currency and jewellery.

The property in York Road, Sutton was broken into on Wednesday, October 10 between 7.30am and 4.10pm.
They gained entry by smashing a window into the study.
The safe, which was fixed in a bedroom wardrobe, contained Asian jewellery, English and foreign currency as well as passports and bank cards.
These cards were used later the same day around 5pm to withdraw a total of £700 from cash machines at NatWest in Streatham High Road. Two laptops were also taken.

Stolen Art Watch, Beware, Fitzwilliam Jade Reward Fool's Gold Without Consulting Art Hostage

'Substantial' reward offered in hunt for stolen Fitzwilliam Museum treasures

 A “substantial reward” has been put up to recover £15 million of Chinese artefacts stolen from Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum.

The “valuable and culturally significant” treasure was plundered from the Trumpington Road museum in April.
The 18 mainly jade items were taken by three men and a 16-year-old boy who were sentenced last week.
But police still do not know where the stolen items are.
Chief Constable Simon Parr told the News that finding them would be “the icing on the cake” after he praised officers for the investigation.
He said: “It was a good investigation and I am pleased the sentences reflected the seriousness of the offence. We have not yet found the stolen items which have huge cultural significance but our investigations continue.
“It was a good result and finding the artefacts would be the icing on the cake.”
Clement Doherty Adjusters Ltd has placed a full-page advert in Antiques Trade Gazette on behalf of the museum in an effort to alert dealers to the theft.
The advertisement does not state how much the reward is but it can be negotiated.
The items, dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, include a jade 16th Century carved buffalo, a carved horse from the 17th Century and a green and brown jade carved elephant.
A museum spokesman said: “We see the advertisement as part of the second stage of the investigation, entailing the return of all 18 stolen jades to the museum.”
A 17th Century jade horse from the Ming dynasty was one of 18 items taken by the thieves.
Last week, Steven Coughlan, 25, of Gypsies Residential Site, in Eleanor Street, Bow, east London, Robert Smith, 24, of Rosedale Stables, Swanley, Kent, and a 29-year-old man from London, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were each jailed for six years for conspiracy to burgle.
Marvin Simos, 16, of Hanameel Street, Victoria Dock, London, was sentenced to a four-month detention and training order after admitting burglary. He was 15 years old at the time of the raid.
None of the valuable art has been recovered despite worldwide police forces being alerted, as the News reported.
The gang smashed their way into the museum on Friday, April 13 but CCTV checks identified four people heading towards the rear of the museum shortly before the raid at about 7.30pm.
Four people were then seen carrying bags from the museum before heading off in a van which had been stolen on Saturday, April 7, at 8.40am from Ellesmere Street, Tower Hamlets, London.
DNA checks from the scene later identified the 15-year-old boy as one of the offenders.
Art Hostage Comments:

Anyone attempting to claim this so-called reward without consulting Art Hostage, will, I repeat will, be arrested and charged with handling stolen property, as well as not getting, repeat, not getting any of this Fool''s Gold reward. However, with the guidance of Art Hostage the possibility of being paid a fee for information that leads exclusively to the recovery of the Fitzwilliam Jade will be paid and if that is not possible Art Hostage will reveal this before anyone allows themselves to be lured into false sense of security.
Art Hostage has a motto:

"If in doubt, leave it out, walk away, live to fight another day"

Update:

Art Hostage says: The reward is bogus, false and designed to lure people with information in, so when they inquire about the amount, and then ask for an amount, before offering the information, Police, Clement Doherty Adjusters Ltd and Insurers can arrest them, and under threat of criminal charges, using the 2002 Proceeds of Crime Act.

Then they will make the person with the information reveal what information they have. Once the crucial information is obtained by Police,Clement Doherty Adjusters Ltd and authorities, they will recover the Jade and refuse to pay out the person who gave them the crucial information.

However, Art Hostage can make sure these pitfalls are avoided and a fee would be payable, not a reward, a fee, for exclusively giving information that leads to the exclusive recovery of the Fitzwilliam Jade, no arrests, no false reward promises.

Art Hostage would also make sure those with information are protected from scrutiny and warn well before they reveal anything if a fee cannot be negotiated.

Finally, any call to Clement Doherty Adjusters Ltd will be passed directly to Police immediately, forthwith and the Pre-planned undercover operation will swing into action.

Stolen Art Watch, Gold Rush, In & Out Before Vault Closes

Robbers hit California State Mining and Mineral Museum

Thieves armed with 'pickaxes' may have taken up to $2 million in gold and gems from the Mariposa museum, which will conduct an inventory to determine losses.

MARIPOSA — Armed robbers may have made off with as much as $2 million in gold and gems from the the California State Mining and Mineral Museum in Mariposa, a parks spokesman said.
A statewide hunt was on for the robbers and the possible loot Saturday after the Friday afternoon robbery. About 4 p.m., multiple robbers dressed entirely in black and wearing face masks and night goggles broke in and threatened a museum curator and a museum guide with what were described to police as pickaxes.
They herded employees into the far end of the faux-mine museum building, then went after the famed Fricot Nugget, an almost 14-pound swirl of crystalline gold believed to be the biggest chunk to survive the Gold Rush, said state parks spokesman Roy Stearns.

The nugget is kept in an iron safe within a vaulted room. When the burglar alarms sounded, the doors to the room automatically started to close. The thieves couldn't get into the safe but managed to escape the building — possibly with other gold and gems.

Within minutes, law enforcement officers swarmed the museum grounds. The Mariposa Gazette posted online "The California State Mining and Mineral Museum has just been robbed."
The suspects are still at large. The museum's treasures have been moved to an undisclosed location, where officials will take inventory to see what is missing.

The possibility of such a heist has been a point of contention among local volunteers who wanted the state Parks Department to turn over control of the museum to them.

The cash-strapped state was slated to pack up the collection for storage by the end of July. Then, on July 20, it surfaced that the Parks Department had $54 million socked away, previously unreported to budget officials; and the museum and its collection remained open, awaiting a final decision.

Gold, gems stolen from Mariposa museum 

 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/28/3010416/gold-gems-stolen-from-mariposa.html

An estimated $2 million worth of gold nuggets and precious gems were stolen Friday afternoon from the Mariposa Mining and Mineral Museum, a California State Parks spokesman said.
Several robbers threatened museum staff with weapons before stealing the gems and gold, said Park Ranger Superintendent Greg Martin.

Only a rough estimate of the amount stolen can be made until there is an inspection of the museum's inventory, said Roy Stearns, deputy director for communications for California State Parks. Some of the gold is fairly large, about the size of a fist, and will be difficult to sell. The collection at the museum is considered significant, curator Darci Moore said in a recent Merced Sun-Star story.

"Geologists and experts in mineralogy come here to do their research," Moore said.
Moore said more than 20,000 people visit annually and, despite the threat of closure because of state budget problems, the museum's 132-year-old display had remained open.

Moore had told the paper that she fears what will happen to the collection if the museum is closed: Will it be properly protected? Will the largest pieces be shipped to bigger museums, leaving the rest to be forgotten?

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/28/3010416/gold-gems-stolen-from-mariposa.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/28/3010416/gold-gems-stolen-from-mariposa.html#storylink=cpy

Stolen Art Watch, Jeffrey Jubilant As His Precious Art Heads Home To Santa Monica

 

Tip leads to stolen paintings, two suspects in San Gabriel Valley

Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_21649311/tip-leads-stolen-paintings-two-suspects-san-gabriel#ixzz27kfeP6MQ

SANTA MONICA - A San Gabriel man and a manager of a Pasadena store selling car stereos and sound systems were arrested for allegedly stealing art valued at $10 million from a Santa Monica home, police said Thursday. Detectives recovered most of the stolen paintings at Al & Ed's Autosound in Pasadena, four at a San Gabriel residence and one in Glendale.
The store manager, 45-year-old Jay Jeffrey Nieto of Canyon Country, and San Gabriel resident, 40-year-old Wilmer Bolosan Cadiz, were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of possessing stolen property.
Pasadena police received a tip where the stolen art was being held and contacted Santa Monica police on Wednesday, Santa Monica Police Sgt. Richard Lewis said in a statement.
He said investigators served a search warrant at Al & Ed's Autosound at 30 S. Rosemead Boulevard and found most of the paintings. Nieto was arrested Wednesday night.
Lewis said additional information led detectives to a residence in San Gabriel where they arrested Cadiz. He allegedly had four of the paintings.
Another painting turned up in Glendale.
The person who had the painting in Glendale was interviewed and cooperating with police, according to Lewis.
Burglars took paintings, two wooden box art pieces, a red 2010 Porsche Carrera 4S, watches, wine and a small amount of cash sometime between 3 p.m. Sept. 12 and 8 p.m. Sept. 14 from a house in the 500 block of 12th Street.
The resident, Jeffrey Gundlach, discovered the break-in when

he returned home from a trip. He offered a $1.7 million reward. Booking records show Nieto was being held at Santa Monica jail in lieu of $20,000 bail. He will be arraigned Friday at the Airport courthouse.
Cadiz was released from custody at 6:50 a.m. Thursday. It's not clear if he is out on bail.
Santa Monica Police are looking for the other stolen items and for additional possible suspects.

Art thieves busted

Stolen Art Watch, Fitzwilliam Thieves Jailed, Hunt For Jade Continues

 

Fitzwilliam Museum Jade raiders jailed for 18 years

 

The gang who stole up to £15 million worth of Chinese artefacts from the Fitzwilliam Museum has been put behind bars for a total of more than 18 years.
Marvin Simos, of Victoria Dock, London, who was 15 at the time of the raid, was given a four-month detention and training order for breaking into the Cambridge University museum and stealing 18 irreplaceable jade works of art.
Steven Coughlan, 25, of Eleanor Street, London, Robert Smith, 24, Rosedale Stables, Swanley, Kent, and a 29-year-old from London, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were each jailed for six years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to burgle at a previous hearing.
None of the valuable art, which has been valued between £5 million and £15 million has been recovered despite worldwide police forces being alerted.

The gang smashed their way into the Fitzwilliam Museum on Friday, April 13, and stole 18 valuable Chinese artefacts. CCTV checks identified four people heading towards the rear of the museum shortly before the burglary at around 7.30pm.

Four people were then seen carrying bags from the museum before heading off in a stolen van. The van had been stolen on Saturday, April 7, at 8.40am from Ellesmere Street, Tower Hamlets, London.

DNA checks from the scene later identified the 15-year-old boy as one of the offenders.
CCTV checks from the previous day (Thursday, April 12) identified Smith, Coughlan and the 29 year old carrying out a reccy at the museum, paying particular attention to the Chinese gallery which housed the stolen artefacts.
Det Chief Insp Jim McCrorie said: "Today's sentencing follows a large scale operation and a great deal of work to ensure those involved in this burglary were caught and convicted.

"Sadly the items, which are of huge cultural significance, have still not been traced but we remain committed to following any new lines of enquiry that could lead to their recovery.”
 The court heard that the amount of compensation being sought was around £60 million to take account of interest.

The loss adjusters are issuing a reward appeal for information leading to the recovery of the stolen property and an advert will appear in the Antique Gazette this week.

Chinese antiques gang imprisoned

Three members of a gang who stole millions of pounds worth of Chinese antiques from a Cambridge museum in an act of 'cultural vandalism' have been jailed for six years each.
The four-strong gang carried out a professionally planned raid to steal the pre-selected items from Cambridge University's Fitzwilliam Museum on April 13.
They took eighteen irreplaceable "culturally significant" jade artefacts, worth an estimated total of between £5 million and £15 million. However, The court heard that the amount of compensation being sought was around £60 million to take account of interest.
The ancient items are believed to have been sold to rich private collectors and may never be seen again.
Passing sentence at Cambridge Crown Court, Mr Justice Fulford described the raid as an act of "cultural vandalism".
The judge said: "This resulted in the loss to the museum and the public at large, not only in this country but across the world, of pieces of incalculable cultural significance and many millions of pounds in monetary value."
Steven Coughlan, 25, of Gypsies Residential Site, in Eleanor Street, Bow, east London, Robert Smith, 24, of Rosedale Stables, Swanley, Kent, and a 29-year-old man from London, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will each serve six years after admitting conspiracy to burgle.
Marvin Simos, 16, of Hanameel Street, Victoria Dock, London, admitted burglary. He was sentenced to a four month detention and training order.
The haul has never been recovered and some of the items may have been damaged as the gang fled, the court heard.
David Scrase, acting director of the Fitzwilliam, said in a statement read to the court that the raid had damaged the museum's precious reputation for "guarding treasures".

Stolen Art Watch, Whipped Wenlok Wings Its Way Home

Stolen Wenlok Jug from Luton 'recovered in Surrey'

 
The Wenlok Jug was taken from a museum in Luton

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A 14th Century Wenlok Jug worth £750,000 that was stolen from a Luton museum, has been found, police believe.

The jug was taken from the Stockwood Discovery Centre in Luton on 12 May, but has turned up in Surrey.
The bronze creation is decorated with coats-of-arms and inscribed with the words "My Lord Wenlok."
Bedfordshire Police said experts from the museum are due to examine the jug to determine whether it is the genuine article, on Wednesday.

 Following an in depth investigation the jug, which was valued at £750,000, was discovered at a property in Tadworth, Surrey, in the early hours of Monday morning. Two people were arrested at the location. One man, 23-year-old Ronald Nash, has been charged with handling stolen property and will appear at Luton Magistrates Court today. The second has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

It is thought the jug was made for either William Wenlock, who died in 1391 and was canon of St Paul's Cathedral, or his great-nephew John, the first Lord Wenlock, who was a major figure in the 15th Century.
Temporary export ban Of two people arrested in connection with its theft, the force said one has been charged with handling stolen property and the other has been released on bail.

Det Sgt Barry Townson, who is investigating the burglary, said: "We are, of course, delighted that the jug has been recovered and will be returned to its rightful home but the investigation continues into how it came to be in Surrey and who was responsible for the burglary. I would like to re-appeal to anyone with information about the burglary to come forward."

The jug was stolen during an overnight break-in over a weekend in May. A £25,000 reward was offered and the case was featured on the BBC's Crimewatch programme.
A Stockwood Discovery Centre spokesman said: "We are thrilled that the Wenlok Jug has been successfully recovered and would like to thank Bedfordshire Police for their diligence and hard work over the course of the investigation. We look forward to this irreplaceable piece of local history returning to Stockwood Discovery Centre and the community of Luton."

In 2005, the jug was nearly sold abroad, but a temporary export ban provided the opportunity for Luton Museum to raise the £750,000 needed to buy it.
Update:
 The rare historical artefact was stolen in a smash and grab raid from the Stockwood Discovery Centre, Luton, in May but found in a garage lock up in Tadworth in Surrey after police raided a nearby house.

 Apart from some minor abrasion on the jug’s spout and a few scratches and marks on its main body, the artefact seems to have been returned relatively unscathed and Ms Perkins says that no restoration work will be carried out on it as the theft has become part of the history of the piece.

Det Insp Martin Peters from Beds Police said: “An extensive police operation has been under way to recover the jug since it was taken in May and we executed some warrants in Tadworth in Surrey in the early hours of Monday morning. Two people were arrested and the jug was found in a lock-up garage nearby. One of those people has been charged with handling stolen goods.”

> Ronald Nash, aged 23, of Tadworth in Surrey, appeared at Luton Magistrates Court yesterday morning charged with handling stolen property. A second 47-year-old man has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Stolen bust of Benjamin Franklin recovered in Maryland

 

The bust may have been cracked on the breastplate

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• Is America built on a lie?

A rare bust of US founding father Benjamin Franklin has been found nearly one month after it was stolen from a home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The $3m (£1.8m) piece was recovered when police arrested a cleaner who had worked at the house it was taken from.
It was stolen on 24 August from a stand in the living room of a home in the affluent neighbourhood of Bryn Mawr.
The sculpture is one of three known to have been made in 1778 by Jean-Antoine Houdon when Franklin visited Paris.
The FBI confirmed Friday's arrest of Andrea Lawton, 46, and the recovery of the bust, which is 28in (71cm) tall and weighs 25lb (11kg).
Ms Lawton, who reportedly had the sculpture in a duffle bag, was arrested after getting off a bus to Elkton, Maryland, from her hometown of Mobile, Alabama.
According to court documents, the suspect, also known as Andrea Gresham, faces charges of theft, fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property.
She is due in court on Wednesday for a bail hearing.
Ms Lawton was fired on 21 August from a cleaning company that worked at the home of a lawyer, George D'Angelo, Reuters news agency reported.
Employees saw her three days later driving away from the property in a vehicle.
Mr D'Angelo, 85, said he believed the breastplate of the sculpture was cracked, but had not been able to check the work of art because the FBI was testing it for fingerprints.
"I think it can be repaired," Mr D'Angelo told the Associated Press. "I hope so. It would be ghastly if it can't."

Stolen Art Watch, Santa Monica's Jeffrey Gundlach Is Standing On The Shoulders Of Giant's With Truly Sincere Reward Offer

SMPD

Several of the paintings stolen from the Santa Monica residence between Sept. 12-14 while the victim was away on a trip.

Up To $1.7 Million Reward On Offer For Santa Monica Art Robbery Information

A reward of up to $1.5 million is now being offered for information in the Santa Monica home heist where more than $10 million was stolen from the home of Jeffrey Gundlach, founder of DoubleLine Capital in Los Angeles.
Gundlach held a press conference today at 1 p.m. at his downtown LA office where he spoke of the increased reward that stems from the robbery that took place sometime between Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 3 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. in the residence on the 500 block of 12th Street in the north of Montana neighborhood.
Thieves stole his red 2010 Porsche Carrera 4S, high-end art, and luxury watches while he was away on a trip.
Last week, an assistant for Gundlach announced a $200,000 no questions asked reward was being offered for information leading to the recovery of these stolen items and urged anyone with information to contact police.
Today, Gundlach announced he would offer a $1 million reward for the return, or information that leads to the return, of his Piet Mondrian painting if it is undamaged.
This oil painting is titled “Composition A En Rouge Et Blanc” and is from 1936.
He said he would also offer an additional $500,000 reward for the successful return, or information that leads to the return, of his Jasper Johns painting called Green Target from 1956, stating it too must be undamaged.
He said these two specific rewards would be on top of the $200,000 reward already on offer.
“Previously we had announced a $200,000 reward for information leading to the successful recovery of the artwork undamaged,” Gundlach said at the press conference. “That reward remains in place as an overarching reward for information leading to the successful recovery of the property in conjunction with this robbery.”

Stolen Art Watch, Hot Art Sizzles To Staebler Award

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua Knelman’s Hot Art wins Edna Staebler Award

 Toronto writer Joshua Knelman has won this year’s Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-fiction for Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives Through the Secret World of Stolen Art (Douglas & McIntyre).

The $10,000 award, administered by Wilfrid Laurier University, will be presented on Nov. 13 in Waterloo, Ontario.
In a press release, award juror and Laurier professor Ute Lischke called the book “a hugely satisfying and meticulously researched real-life detective story that will surprise and intrigue you.”

Stolen Art Watch, Santa Monica Art Heist, Calling Robert K Wittman

Thieves snatch $10million haul of fine art, jewellery and a Porsche from home of wealthy banker dubbed the 'Bond God'

• Financier Jeffrey Gundlach was on business trip when his home was raided
• Stolen art includes work by some of America's finest painters
• Thieves also took his Porsche, wine and a collection of valuable watches
• Gundlach has offered $100,000 reward for return of his property

A haul of art worth more than $10 million has been stolen from the home of a wealthy Californian banker known as the 'Bond God.'
Pieces by some of finest artists of the 20th Century, including celebrated Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, were among the 13 works snatched from the Santa Monica residence of Jeffrey Gundlach.
The thieves also took Mr Gundlach's Porsche, expensive watches and wine during the raid, which is thought to be one of the most costly of its kind on a private home.

Theft: Art by some of the finest painters of the 20th Century were taken during the raid, including this piece (pictured) by the Canadian-born artist Philip Guston

Valuable: Also taken was an eye catching piece by the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian (pictured left) and a work by the Impressionist painter Guy Rose (right)

Raid: This piece by American landscape painter William Wendt was part of the stolen haul

Santa Monica Police have published pictures of the art work in a bid to track the pieces down, while Mr Gundlach has offered a $100,000 reward for the return of his property.
$1,000 is also being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who carried out the raid, according to Santa Monica police.

More...

• Art thief who tried to sell a Banksy on eBay: Vandal ripped 'Sperm Alarm' graffiti from London hotel wall and auctioned it for £17,000
• Give us back the Mona Lisa: Italian campaigners demand France returns world's most famous painting to 'home city' of Florence

The theft took place between 3 pm last Wednesday and 8 pm on Friday while the owner was away from his Santa Monica home.
Among the watches stolen were high-end pieces by Breitling, Tag Heuer and Philip Patek, while the car stolen was a red 2010 Porsche Carrera 4S.

Victim: Among the art work stolen from the home of financier Jeffrey Gundlach (pictured left) were pieces by the American artist Joseph Cornell (an example of which is pictured, right)

The items are believed to have been taken from different rooms within the house.
The haul included a painting by the Expressionist artist Richard Diebenkorn and two glass-fronted boxes by the American Surrealist artist and sculptor Joseph Cornell.
A colourful landscape by William Wendt known as the 'Dean of Southern California landscape painters,' was part of the stolen haul.
Work by Impressionist Guy Rose and landscape artist Hanson Duvall Puthuff were also taken, as well as pieces by Abstract Expressionists, including Johns, Philip Guston and Franz Kline.
One of the most eye catching pieces stolen was by Mondrian, who became famous for the geometrical coloured boxes used in his work.
Mr Gundlach, who is CEO of investment firm DoubleLine Capital, is one of the most successful bond and mutual fund investors in the US.
His firm has assets of over $30bn.
The financier, who is in his 40s, was fired from his former company in 2009 after he was found to have breached his 'fiduciary duty' but was awarded $67m in back pay.
Anyone with information on the theft or the whereabouts of the stolen items should contact Santa Monica Police or call Crime Stoppers.

Return: A $1,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who stole the art work - which included this piece by Jasper Johns (pictured left) and Franz Kline (right)

Santa Monica: The art work was stolen from a home in Santa Monica, California

Art Hostage Comments:

Memo to Mr Jeffrey Gundlach.

Do yourself a huge favor and get Robert K Wittman on the horn and he will be on the Red-Eye to you. This will lead to the recovery of your stolen art quicker than using any other resource.

Stolen Art Watch, Renoir Recovery, Reach For Robert Wittman

New Top Ten Art Crime
Reward Offered for Stolen Renoir Painting

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/september/reward-offered-for-stolen-renoir-painting

An oil painting by French Impressionist Pierre Auguste Renoir stolen from a Houston home last year—and estimated to be worth $1 million—is the newest addition to the FBI’s Top Ten Art Crimes list.

The painting, Madeleine Leaning on Her Elbow with Flowers in Her Hair, was stolen during an armed robbery on September 8, 2011. The homeowner was watching television when she heard a loud noise downstairs. When she went to investigate, she was confronted by an armed man in a ski mask.

“We hope that adding the Renoir to the FBI’s Top Ten list and publicizing the reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the recovery of the painting will prompt someone to come forward,” said Peter Schneider, a sergeant with the Houston Police Department who is a member of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force in Houston.

Information about the painting has been included in the FBI’s National Stolen Art File, as well as other similar online tools—including the Art Loss Register and Interpol’s Works of Art database—that alert art dealers, gallery owners, and auction houses about missing and stolen artwork.

“If the thief tries to place the painting with a reputable dealer or gallery, or tries to sell it at auction, members of the art community here and overseas who regularly check these databases will see that the artwork has been stolen and will alert the FBI,” said Bonnie Magness-Gardiner, who manages the Bureau’s art theft program. “Our goal is to provide information about this theft to the widest audience possible,” she said.

Renoir, a master Impressionist, painted Madeleine Leaning on Her Elbow with Flowers in Her Hair in 1918. The canvas size is 50.17 x 41.28 centimeters, and the artist signed the oil portrait in the lower right corner. The painting was taken with its frame intact from the stairwell where it hung.

The masked robber, who forced entry through the back door of the home, is described as a white male, 18 to 26 years old, who weighs about 160 pounds and is approximately 5’-10” tall. He was armed with a large-caliber, semi-automatic handgun.

Sgt. Schneider said that while Houston has had its share of art crimes, few have been as high-profile as the theft of the Renoir. He added that the thief would likely try to sell the painting in a larger art community like New York or Los Angeles, or possibly overseas.

The FBI established the Top Ten Art Crimes list in 2005. Since then, six paintings and one sculpture have been recovered, including a Rembrandt self-portrait and another Renoir work titled Young Parisian stolen from Sweden’s National Museum. The current list may be found on our art theft program page listed below.

We need your help: Anyone with information about the stolen Renoir is encouraged to contact their local FBI office or the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, or to submit a tip online at www.fbi.gov. A private insurer is offering up to $50,000 for information leading to the recovery of the painting.

Art Hostage Comments:

Look, listen & Learn.

Art Hostage urges those who may have inside information that will lead to the recovery, I repeat just the recovery of the Houston Renoir to contact Robert Wittman at the link shown below
http://www.robertwittmaninc.com/contact.html

This is the retired FBI Art Crime Team founder, not the serving FBI Art Crime Team Leader, which is important to know as Robert Wittman now works in the private sector and therefore does not have the burden of Public office as a Federal FBI Agent, so he can be much more pragmatic and his approach is purely one of recovery.

Meaning, if those with inside information contact Robert Wittman he will be able to guide you through the process of recovery without working as an Undercover FBI Agent tasked to sting and arrest. Robert Wittman's primary focus is one of pure recovery and he is in a position to offer the $50,000 reward as well as protect those who may have inside information that leads exclusively to the recovery of the Renoir.

Stolen Art Watch, Graham Harkin Pays Token Gesture For Art Crime Spree

Court hears Levens Hall clock theft man made £600,000 from targeting historic houses

A CAREER criminal involved in the theft of a nationally important antique clock from Levens Hall made £600,000 by targeting that and some of England’s other most historic houses, a court has heard.

Graham Geoffrey Harkin, 59, joined a tour of the stately home so he could decide which items should be stolen.

A few days later, on September 19, 2009, accomplices broke into the house and stole several antique pieces, including a 300-year-old clock, made by Thomas Tompion.

Harkin might have got away with it, Carlisle Crown Court heard, if he had not contacted Levens owner Hal Bagot, saying he could recover the clock for a £25,000 reward.

As a result police set up a ‘sting’ in which Harkin was arrested.

And then they discovered he had been responsible for burglaries and thefts in other parts of the country too.

Last year Harkin was jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to burgling two historic houses — Longner Hall in Shropshire, and Firle Place, a country estate in Sussex, from which he took porcelain worth about £1 million — and handling the clock stolen from Levens Hall.

Two other charges — burgling a National Trust property in Cornwall and stealing a £50,000 sundial from Dalemain House, near Penrith — were left lying on the court file and were not proceeded with.

Harkin. of Chestnut Walk, Wakefield, Yorkshire, was back at Carlisle Crown Court on Friday for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

He admitted making £600,000 from his crimes but the judge accepted that he could be made to pay back only £10,000 of his profits, since his only realisable asset is a £10,000 share of the house he co-owns with his wife.

Nearly £6,000 of that will have to go to paying off another Proceeds of Crime order made after a series of similar crimes in West Yorkshire.

If he fails to pay within six months he will go to prison for an extra four months.

Stolen Art Watch, Burglars Busted In Bath

£40,000 antiques haul recovered in police raids in and around Bath

More than £40,000 worth of antiques stolen during burglaries across Bath and the wider area have been discovered during police raids this week.

Officers working on the Operation Relentless campaign carried out warrants in the city and in Midsomer Norton on Monday and arrested three men on suspicion of burglary and handling stolen goods.

They also recovered almost 100 items of stolen property, including £40,000 worth of antique furniture which was taken from a property in St James’s Square at the weekend.

This included a matching pair of 18th century marble-topped tables and a 19th century wooden box containing glasses and decanters.

Police have also found a carriage clock, worth more than £4,000, which was stolen from a house in Forrester Road, in Bathwick, back in August while the owners were on holiday.

It was among around 80 other suspected stolen items seized from a house in Midsomer Norton and detectives are now trying to work out where they originally came from so they can be returned to the rightful owners.

Det Chief Insp Nick Papuca, of Bath CID, said he was pleased with how the first few days of Operation Relentless had gone.

He said: “This was a very successful start and sends out the clear message that we will be relentless in tracking down and dealing with people who commit serious acquisitive crimes.

“These people cause disruption and misery in our communities and we will be running numerous and frequent operations to disrupt their activities and bring them to justice.”

The three arrested men have been bailed pending further inquiries.

Stolen Art Watch, Faberge Eggs, Aviazovsky Painting and Currency Stolen, I'm Not Mukhin About

Aivazovsky and Faberge eggs stolen from Russian collector

http://rt.com/art-and-culture/news/faberge-stolen-russian-collector-865/

A painting by famed Russian seascape artist Aivazovksy, and two genuine Faberge eggs have been stolen from a private collector in St. Petersburg.

­The apartment of Vladimir Mukhin, 57, was robbed between September 8 and 10. The criminals escaped with several millions roubles in foreign currency, jewelry, several paintings and two Faberge eggs, decorated with gold and precious stones.

The owner of the apartment reported the theft to police on Tuesday. He claims to have lost 5 million roubles (around $157,000), around $30,000, and 3000 euro in cash along with several rare coins.

Police are now trying to estimate the exact sum of the collector’s loss.

Painter Ivan Aivazovsky is highly acclaimed and earlier this year his 1856 work ‘View of Constantinople and the Bosphorus’ has sold for record $5.2 million at Sotheby’s.

The Faberge eggs are also a rarity as the jeweler only produced them between 1885 and 1917. The most expensive egg was presented in 1913, and would have cost around $3 million today.

Stolen Art Watch, Group of Seven Swiped As Joshua Knelman's Hot Art Up For Yet Another Award

Arthur Ellis Award Winner Best Crime Nonfiction, Hot Art Up For Another Award

Group of Seven paintings stolen from Toronto gallery

Also taken was Harbour Scene #2 by late Montreal artist

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/08/31/toronto-paintings-stolen.html

Two Group of Seven paintings and a painting from a renowned Montreal artist have been stolen during a break-in at a gallery in Toronto's tony Yorkville neighbourhood.

The paintings that are missing are:

• Group of Birches by Frank Johnston.
• Beach Litter by Arthur Lismer.
• Harbour Scene #2 by the late Montreal artist Sylvia Lefkovitz.

Police say the thief or thieves broke the front bay window and entered an art gallery on Hazleton Avenue. The three paintings are valued at about $50,000.

The break-in happened Sunday, but details were only released on Friday morning.

Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction shortlist (Canada)

The shortlist for the 21st annual Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction has been revealed. The $10,000 prize, administered by Wilfrid Laurier University, recognizes a first or second published work of creative non-fiction by a Canadian author that has a Canadian setting or significance. The award was established in 1991 by literary journalist Edna Staebler to encourage Canadian talent:

Joshua Knelman, Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives through the Secret World of Stolen Art (Douglas and McIntyre)

Robyn Michele Levy, Most of Me: Surviving My Medical Meltdown (Greystone Books)

Andrew Westoll, The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A Canadian Story of Resilience and Recovery (HarperCollins Canada)

Stolen Art Watch, Guarnerius Violin Theft Leads To Indictments

Two men charged in connection with the theft of Guarnerius violin in Cricklewood

Two men have been charged in connection with the theft of a Guarnerius violin which was stolen in a Cricklewood burglary.

Dean Barton, 23, of Brassey Road, Kilburn, and John Powles, 24, from Belsize Park, are due to appear in Hendon Magistrates’ Court this morning (Saturday).

Barton is accused of two counts of handling stolen goods including the instrument which is worth £500,000.

Powles is charged with breaking into the Cricklewood property on August 17 from where the violin was stolen.

Stolen Art Watch, Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days. By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Ex-household staffer sought in $3M Bryn Mawr art theft

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/20120826_Ex-household_staffer_sought_in__3M_Bryn_Mawr_art_theft.html

For a brief period this summer, Andrea Lawton worked on the housekeeping staff of their home, according to a Bryn Mawr couple. Now, say Lower Merion police, she is suspected of cleaning them out of a rare bust of Benjamin Franklin said to be worth more than $3 million.

Lawton, 46, of Philadelphia, learned her employers' routine during her month working at their residence on the 600 block of Black Rock Road, according to homeowner George A. D'Angelo.

Police responded to a call by the household staff, which reported the burglary about 12:30 p.m. Friday, while he and his wife, Brenda, were not home, D'Angelo said. But the porcelain bust and a small, framed portrait were already gone, he said.

The bust is 28 inches tall and weighs 25 pounds, including its brass supporting structure, D'Angelo said. Made by Jean-Antoine Houdon in 1778, while Franklin was visiting Paris, the bust is one of four in existence, he said.

"It sat on the pedestal and just dominated the drawing room," D'Angelo said.

The three other busts are at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Louvre in Paris, according to D'Angelo. The Louvre version is made of terra cotta; the two others are marble.

When the marble bust was donated to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, it was valued at about $3 million, said D'Angelo, who believes the stolen work is worth at least as much.

It is unique, he said, because Franklin's expression seems to vary from different angles. The work is part of a collection of historical objects his family has collected, D'Angelo said.

Lawton and another woman were seen leaving the house Friday by a staff member, D'Angelo said. But because both had been recent employees there, their presence did not raise suspicion, he said.

The residence's housekeeper soon realized that the artwork was missing.

"It was a great shock," said D'Angelo, who reported that the intruder or intruders entered through a sun-porch window.

Township spokesman Thomas Walsh said Lower Merion police were working with Philadelphia authorities on the case. It was not known Saturday whether police were searching for a second suspect.

D'Angelo said he was considering offering a reward as an incentive for the safe recovery of the historic Franklin bust.

"I just hope it's returned," he said. "It's our history - American history."

Prince's gifts among £7,000 of stolen Padstow antiques

THIEVES got away with £7,000 worth of antiques when they raided Prideaux Place in Padstow last weekend.

Detectives say the burglary happened in the early hours of last Saturday morning at the home of Peter and Elizabeth Prideaux-Brune.

Bodmin CID are also investigating a burglary at Pencarrow House between Bodmin and Wadebridge that could be connected.

Elizabeth Prideaux-Brune said all the items stolen were of great sentimental value.

"The music box that was taken was a present from my husband on our first wedding anniversary, and the candlesticks and a rose bowl were presents from Prince Chula Chakrabongse of Thailand and his wife, Princess Chula, when they lived at Tredethy,'' she said.

"The antiques were all incredibly special to us, not only sentimentally but historically too.''

Detective Constable Sarah Northcott said 13 items were known to have been stolen from Prideaux Place.

She said: "The alarm was activated at 2.15am on August 18 when the offender or offenders gained entry by forcing a ground floor library window. They removed items from the library and then the dining room."

Items stolen were: A 19th-century skeleton clock 9 inches tall; A mahogany mantle clock 14in tall inscribed on clock face with Squire and Son, Bideford; A silver salver 22in in diameter with the Prideaux Brune coat of arms in the centre; two silver cigarette boxes - one 7in square the other 7in long and both inscribed with Prideaux coat of arms; a silver rose bowl 10in in diameter inscribed inside the bowl in Thai writing and is highly decorated; a silver candle snuffer 9in long with a wooden handle; two silver soldier figures 9in high both dressed in armour one carrying a lance; a silver wine coaster; a music box with a clock on one side and a small bird that comes out of the top, manufactured by Halycon Days; a silver pheasant figurine; two Corinthian candlesticks 10in high; a silver owl and a pepper and salt pots with a grouse design.

Detectives say earlier in the month there was a burglary at Pencarrow House when thieves smashed a rear first floor window to gain entry on August 4. A silver tray and two antique pieces of china were stolen.

Stolen Art Watch, Theft By Numbers !!

Gallery paintings ‘stolen to order’ for collector

http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/gallery-paintings-stolen-to-order-for-collector-1-2479723

PAINTINGS seized during a heist at an Edinburgh art gallery are believed have been stolen to order for a private collector, the Evening News can reveal.

Works by the acclaimed Scots artist Peter Howson were seized during a late night raid on the Art Mart in May.

Police chased two men seen running from the scene with some of the paintings and apprehended them, recovering the remainder from a white van nearby.

At Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday, George Mountford, 27, pleaded guilty to breaking into the London Road store on May 5 this year and stealing the paintings, worth £16,000.

His co-accused, Gary McKenzie, 28, a prisoner in Saughton, admitted reset of one painting.

Today art dealer Douglas Fyfe, proprietor of the store, said it was believed that the paintings had been stolen to order rather than being an opportunistic crime.

He said: “They were organised and the paintings were by Peter Howson, the well-known Scottish painter, so I think they were done to order.

“One painting was hidden behind some of the others and couldn’t have been seen from outside, so I think someone had been in before to check out the place.”

Mr Fyfe, who has operated his art business on London Road for 13 years, said it was extremely rare for paintings to be stolen in such a manner in Scotland.

He added: “I was phoned at 2am by the police and when I went down there were police cars there and they had already been caught.

“I have been there 13 years and its the first time anything like this has happened. It’s very rare, I haven’t heard of anything like this at all in Edinburgh or Scotland even.”

Yesterday, at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, fiscal depute Michelle Young told Sheriff Michael O’Grady QC, that Mr Fyfe had secured the building after 6pm on May 4, locking the front door and securing metal gates with two padlocks.

At 2.43am the following morning, a member of the public phoned police to say the front door of the premises was wide open and Mr Fyfe was contacted.

Officers searched the surrounding area and two men were seen in Alva Place carrying paintings. Police followed and found two paintings discarded on the road. Mountford had turned into Rossie Place, where he was arrested.

McKenzie had gone into Easter Road where officers in a police car found him standing outside a Scotmid store “sweating and out of breath”.

Ms Young said a white van, belonging to Mountford, was found in Rossie Place, in which four paintings were found. Also in the van were various items, including gloves, a crow bar, pliers, hammer and bolt cutters.

Ms Young said none of the paintings had been damaged. The glass on one had been broken and two had broken frames. She added that the damage to the premises had cost £135 to repair.

Sheriff O’Grady deferred sentence on both men while reports on their background were carried out.

LS Lowry painting thieves to pay back just £6,500

TWO Merseyside crooks caught with stolen LS Lowry paintings and drugs will pay back less than £6,500 of their ill gotten gains.

Malcolm Shield and Kevin Marlow were jailed in March for their part in a plot involving artwork by the iconic painter, which was stolen in a vicious armed robbery in 2007.

Despite being caught red handed with the original artwork, worth an estimated £1.7m, and a massive cache of drugs at Marlow’s flat they pleaded poverty and will have to pay back a fraction of the cash they were judged to have made.

Shield, 41, was arrested when officers from the north west regional crime team Titan raided his home, in Arncliffe Road, Halewood, last year.

Working on a tip-off, detectives watched a betting shop in Bootle where they saw local men Kevin Marlow, 29, and Gerard Starkey, 50, meet up.

Starkey brought the missing paintings for Marlow who was then tailed back to Halewood and arrested at Shield’s flat with two Lowry classics – The Viaduct and Tanker Entering The Tyne – along with 40,000 ecstasy tablets and amphetamine worth around £250,000.

The rest of the missing paintings stolen from art dealer Ivan Aird were found in Starkey’s lock up in Bootle.

In March Shield received seven and a half years in jail, Marlow got six and a half years, and Starkey was jailed for three years and three months.

At a proceeds of crime hearing at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday Judge Graham Morrow QC found Kevin Marlow, of Halby Road, Bootle, to have benefited to the tune of £851,027 based on a reduced valuation of £450,000 for the two paintings which had been damaged by the way they had been stored, and £393,000 based on a pair of cocaine “tick lists” found in his house showing money owed from drug dealing, plus some cocaine and cannabis.

He will have to pay back £2,430 based on some cash already seized and the resale value of a Renault Scenic.

Shield was judged to have benefited to the amount of £149,839 based on the lowest estimated value of the drugs in the house.

He was said to be “merely a custodian” of the paintings.

He was ordered to pay back £3,960 of his available assets, made up of cash seized by police at the time.

The amount Starkey, of Southport Road, Bootle, has to pay will be decided later today .

Shield’s girlfriend, 33-year-old Erin Edwards, was found guilty of possession of amphetamine and received a suspended prison sentence.

She was ordered to pay back a nominal £1 sum.

LS Lowry, who famously painted scenes of the industrial north with match stick figures, was a friend of Ivan Aird’s parents.

When Mr Aird became an art collector like his dad he hung Lowry’s paintings in his home.

But early in May 2007 a bogus postman and three other thugs tied up his wife and threatened his daughter, then two, with a knife before stealing the paintings.

Hired muscle Casey Miller, from Denton in Manchester, was jailed indefinitely in 2009 was after being convicted of being the fake postman.

None of the rest of his gang, or the mastermind behind the raid, have yet been caught.

Stolen Art Watch, Lee Collins The Truth Behind The Myth

Lee Collins, Family Man Trying To Earn A Crust !!!


Art Hostage has discovered the truth behind the myth about Lee Collins.

First of all back in 2006 there was a trial at Southark Crown court where working class Lee Collins was accused of duping high profile, Upper Class people out of high value art and antiques, despite the undisputed fact Lee Collins paid good money for them.

In some instances he paid tens of thousands of pounds for antiques and admittedly doubled his money.

However, throughout the art and antiques trade the accepted profit margin is three-four times or 300-400% profit.

The jury in the Southark crown court case accepted this and acquitted Lee Collins.

Subsequently, Police have been targeting Lee Collins ever since and they, together with prosecutors have over-egged any complaint to try and get convictions against Lee Collins.

The first chance came in 2010 when Lee Collins bought some jewellery from a woman in Portsmouth and she complained he had stolen some articles.

However, this confused elderly lady was encouraged to give evidence against Lee Colllins and he was convicted and sentenced to 10 months jail.

Having served his time Lee Collins went about his business and again another elderly lady, confused, was convinced to make a complaint against Lee Collins that he stolen some jewellery and did not pay her full £80 for jewellery she had agreed to sell to him. Instead she alleged Lee Collins only gave her £60.

There was a first trial in May of this year 2012 and the jury could not reach a verdict and in normal circumstances the Prosecution would have left it at that.

However, because of the pursuit of working class Lee Collins the Prosecution went for a retrial and this week at Harrow Crown Court has seen Lee Collins convicted and given 16 months jail plus 4 months jail for breaching a previous suspended sentence. Total is 20 months jail.

The moral of this tale is when Police/Prosecutors get the bit between their teeth they will move heaven and earth to get a conviction no matter how unsafe and how unjust.

When the banks steal millions from pensioners pension funds they get bailed out by the govt, but when a working class antiques dealer buys antiques from the Upper classes they get pursued until they are convicted and jailed.

There are two sides to every story and this is the one you normally never hear.

Stolen Art Watch, Lee Collins, Brighton Antiques Mafia Soldier Guilty After Re-Trial, Jailed 20 Months, HMP Ford Awaits

Lee Herbert Collins, the notorious Brighton Antiques Mafia Soldier was found guilty yesterday at Harrow Crown Court of theft from elderly people regarding high value antiques. He was sentenced to 16 months jail-time and an extra 4 months jail for breaching a previous suspended sentence for antiques theft. 20 months jail in total.

This means Lee Herbert Collins will serve 5 months jail and 5 months on electronic tag and the remainder on license.

Lee Herbert Collins will be released January 2013 from HMP Ford Open jail, where he is headed within the next couple of weeks.

This was a re-trial as the first trial was deadlocked when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on May 4th 2012.

Back-story:
http://arthostage.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/stolen-art-watch-brighton-knocker-boy.html

More to follow.............

Stolen Art Watch, Robert Wittman Reward Offer, Miami Nice

Cat burglar steals silver snail, giraffe in Miami Beach art heist

In a scene reminiscent of "The Pink Panther," the cat

burglar sneaked in through a second-floor bathroom window and pounced on the snail and the giraffe.

The silver animals were part of an art collection of many shiny sculptures — possibly valued at more than a half-million dollars.

This is no make-believe case starring Chief Inspector Clouseau.

The burglary is being investigated by Miami Beach police, who are seeking the public's help for clues. A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered by the victim and a security firm for the recovery of the antiques.

Thursday, authorities released photographs of the collectibles stolen in early May from Jean Boulton's pink house on the exclusive La Gorce Island. The heirlooms were gifts from Boulton's husband, Andres Boulton, a millionaire industrialist who died in 1998.

"She got them from her husband, and she's had them for many years," said Robert Wittman, 56, a retired FBI agent serving as a consultant on the case. "They mean a lot to her beyond the monetary value."

The day of the heist, a thief broke a second-floor window to enter Boulton's home. Stolen were two animal-shaped items: A silver giraffe as well as a nautilus shell wrapped with silver adornment. Also purloined were a bowl and soup tureen, each lined with jewel stones and made by Buccellati, a jewelry company.

The collectibles are insured and valued at $400,000, police said. But these days, they could be worth more than $500,000, police said. As detectives investigated, they didn't find fingerprints or witnesses.

Andres Boulton and his family ran companies that included shipping, cement, tile, iron mining and steel, according a 1998 article from The Miami Herald. Andres and Jean Boulton, married for 25 years, were avid travelers and one of their many homes was in Miami Beach. In 1993, Jean Boulton reportedly had $1 million in jewels stolen from her atJohn F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Today, she typically has a full-time staff of eight or nine when living in South Florida. But she was away in Venezuela during the theft in May, causing her staff to be "relieved of the 24-hour-type duties," a police report said.

Detectives must consider all possibilities, so they haven't ruled out Boulton's staff as suspects, said Detective Vivian Hernandez, spokeswoman for Miami Beach police. "You have to explore those avenues," Hernandez said. "Staff do get questioned."

The thief may have a tough time selling the antiques, Wittman said. "These pieces are so unique they're going to be very difficult to move on an open market," he said. "Anyone who sees these, they're going to recognize them right away."

Though the theft of high-value artwork is uncommon in Miami Beach, it does happen with so many rich residents living there, authorities say. There are "affluent residents who have collections," so burglars sometimes "get certain items at those types of prices," Hernandez said.

Wittman, who runs Robert Wittman Inc., a Philadelphia-based security consulting firm, said art thefts have kept him busy across the country. "At any given time I'm probably working 40 of these things," he said. "The criminals watch TV, too. They have an idea of what things are worth, and that's why they're going after them."

Big reward offered for stolen antiques

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A ritzy rip-off at a Miami Beach home has inspired the victim to offer a huge reward.

Police released photos of the four antique sculptures stolen from a Miami Beach home in May. The pieces of art, which include some precious stones, were valued at nearly $500,000.

Police said a subject broke into the home in the gated community of La Gorce to break into the home.

A $25,000 reward has been offered for any information leading to a recovery of the sculptures.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of these items, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

WSVN-TV -

Stolen Art Watch, Derby Museum Depot Raid, Watching The Detectives

Derby Museum theft: Items worth £53,000 taken from depot

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-19096945

Coins, medals and watches with an estimated value of £53,000 have been stolen from Derby's museum service.

The artefacts were taken from a city storage depot between 2 May and 19 June but the theft only came to light when another museum asked to borrow an item.

The haul included 20 gold and silver watches from the 18th and 19th Century worth up to £3,000 each.

Coins dating back more than 800 years were also taken as well as 19th Century football medals.

Police said watches by renowned clockmaker John Whitehurst, a contemporary of famous Derby artist Joseph Wright, were among the stolen artefacts.

A rare collection of 17th Century trade tokens were also taken along with medals from the 1888 Derbyshire Football Cup.

'Lost forever'

Derbyshire Police, which is investigating alongside the Metropolitan Police Arts Crime Unit, said it was keeping an open mind about the theft.

Det Con Dee Hornblower said: "There has been no sign of a break in at the premises so the possibility that this was carried out with inside knowledge has at this stage not been ruled out.

"We have circulated details of the stolen items to every police force in the county in the hope that they can be traced."

Security at the storage facility, in an undisclosed location, has been stepped up.

Martin Repton, Derby City Council's member for Leisure and Culture, said: "The issue here is not just about the values of the stolen items but also the historical importance of many of the pieces.

"Our ultimate fear is that some of these items could potentially be discarded by the culprit or culprits meaning they would be lost forever."