Map thief resented prestigious libraries [ "sense of entitlement" ]

Yahoo! ^ | Thursday, September 21, 2006 | Jason Szep (Reuters)

[SunkenCiv]

A dealer of antique treasures who admitted stealing more than $3 million (1.6 million pounds) in rare maps was resentful of the world's top libraries and acted to finance his rich tastes and rising debt... Edward Forbes Smiley III stole 98 of the world's most precious maps over seven years... said he initially acted because he felt he had been wronged and slighted. "Although he had a large degree of access to many libraries for his research and used such access, he did not steal maps from every library that he visited," prosecutors wrote... "He explained that his initial thefts were acting out of resentment towards persons at certain institutions that he believed had wronged him, individuals who he believed had slighted him or used certain of his research without accreditation" ..."Other thefts he explained resulted from some misguided sense of entitlement to the maps because he had, through collectors, provided better versions of the same map to the institution. He also acknowledged that stealing and selling the maps was profitable and he had mounting debts." Prosecutors did not request a specific sentence but said the 50-year-old antiquarian from Martha's Vineyard island in Massachusetts should be given credit for cooperating with federal investigators and helping recover most of the maps.

[SunkenCiv]

Speaking of some misguided sense of entitlement -- "Prosecutors... said the 50-year-old antiquarian... should be given credit for cooperating with federal investigators and helping recover most of the maps." Credit? Yeah. Like he should be allowed to keep one of his hands, instead of having both chopped off.

[SunkenCiv]

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[Hegemony Cricket]

Wouldn't it have been easier to just stop and ask directions?

[RightWhale]

Yet another citizen who has to learn to respect the power of the state the hard way.

[mtbopfuyn]

And Sandy is still free.

[SunkenCiv]

:') Also my first thought.

[blam]

"And Sandy is still free"

Yup.

I heard Rush say the other day that what Sandy put into the files was more important than what he took out.

[weegee]

Yep.

[Publius6961]

Speaking of some misguided sense of entitlement -- "Prosecutors... said the 50-year-old antiquarian... should be given credit for cooperating with federal investigators and helping recover most of the maps." Credit? Yeah. Like he should be allowed to keep one of his hands, instead of having both chopped off.

Well, if he simply had stuffed the maps in his pants he would be just another celebrity interviewed by CNN...

IS SANDY BURGLAR IN JAIL YET?

[Fred Nerks]

a democrat?

[rdl6989]

Yeah. Like he should be allowed to keep one of his hands, instead of having both chopped off. Yep, that would be about the only break I would give him.