Art Theft and the FBI Crime Team

More news from Kansas City. Tony Rizzo of The Kansas City reports about art theft and the FBI Art Crime Team. If any of you were at the ISA annual conference in Charleston, SC you might have seen Greg Horner of the FBI Art Crime Team speak. It was an interesting presentation.

Rizzo reports the FBI Art Crime team have recovered more than 1000 items with a value of more than $135 million. If you may recall, I had a painting stolen from my shop and it was recovered by the FBI Art Crime Team and returned to me by Greg Horner. To read a post about that theft, along with a link to the conservation report performed by the National Gallery on behalf of the FBI, click HERE.

Rizzo reports about a stolen Edgar Payne stolen in 2006 and recovered by the FBI (see image). The article is a good overview of the workings of the FBI Art Crime Team. Much we already know, but it is interesting and a worthy read non the less.

Rizzo reports “It’s very, very common for the crime to cross state and international borders,” said Bonnie Magness-Gardiner, manager of the FBI’s art theft program. “The U.S. is a huge market for art and cultural property.”

The FBI maintains a stolen-art database that now contains about 7,000 items. The database currently is available to law enforcement agencies, but Magness-Gardiner said it soon could be available to the public.

Though sophisticated heists at museums garner big headlines, most art thefts in the United States occur in run-of-the-mill burglaries, she said.

“For the most part, the criminals don’t know how valuable something is,” she said.

Tracking stolen items can be difficult because the United States has no law requiring specific ownership documentation for valuable works of art.

“It makes it easier to insert stolen items into the legitimate market,” Magness-Gardiner said. “It’s up to each gallery and buyer to exercise due diligence and common sense.”

Even when a stolen item is recovered, legitimate owners can have a difficult time getting property back without proper documentation, she said.

To read the article, click HERE.