OPD News
Some of the artifacts stolen from the Oakland Museum of California
Thieves stole more than 1,000 objects from an outdoor storage facility belonging to the Oakland Museum of California, taking artifacts ranging from ivory carvings to Native American baskets. It’s not clear where they got in — and whether or not they had an accomplice in the museum.
On October 15th, at around 3:30 am, a thief or group of robbers broke into the warehouse outside the Oakland Museum of California.
In the audacious robbery, the thieves took several items, including jewelryprecious metals and pearls, indigenous baskets and tools, ancient daguerreotypes and a collection of miscellaneous objects, such as political brooches. They also took the opportunity to steal portable computers and museum chambers.
According to one from the Oakland Police Department (OPD), the thieves did not enter through a door and there were no security guards on duty at the time of the robbery. Employees discovered the robbery the next morning.
Local investigators are now working with the FBI’s Art Crimes Team to locate the perpetrators and, it is hoped, recover the objectssays .
The robbery was “an audacious act that deprives the public of cultural heritage of our state”, says Lori Fogartyexecutive director and CEO of the Oakland Museum of California, in the statement. “Most of these objects were donated to the museum by generous donors.”
There were no employees on site when the robbery occurred.. However, the warehouse has security cameras and alarms, Fogarty points out.
Museum officials are working closely with law enforcement authorities to “ensure that these objects are returned“, he adds.
According to , the stolen objects include laptop computers, necklaces belonging to the late American metalworker Florence Resnikoffa pair of scrimshaw engraved walrus tusks, campaign badges and sports awards.
“It is very possible that whoever stole these objects don’t really know what they have and why do they can be important,” he says.z Fogarty.
The police waited two weeks to announce the robberywhich Fogarty claims was a strategic decision to avoid compromising the investigation.
“We have been deeply involved in recent days with both the OPD and the FBI, and they have informed us that now was the time to share this news with the public”, he tells . “We are hopeful with some of the information they shared, and that they have a very clear idea of what could have happened.”
Museum officials are now explore security measures additional deposits and working with insurance companies to calculate the value of stolen items. Most of the stolen objects were smallso museum officials believe the incident was a crime of opportunity, and not a planned coup.
“We think that thieves found a way into the buildingand grabbed what they could find and easily grab and leave the building,” Fogarty told the AP.
However, John Romeroa former Los Angeles police captain who specialized in commercial crimes, is not sure the robbery went down that way.
To , Romero points out that, if the thieves managed to get in and out without triggering any alarm, may have had some inside knowledge. The fact that having targeted an external warehouse is also suspicious.
“If it is a discreet building, all in brick, very difficult for anyone to understand what it is from the outside, is almost always an employee, a former employeea contractor or a supplier who sees it, talks about it and is approached to get something out of it”, he says.
Romero is also skeptical about the police’s ability to recover the artifacts. Thieves typically sell or merge stolen goods as quickly as possible. “These people are interested in quick cash, not full appraised value,” he adds. “They need to get rid of this quickly.”
The museum has been robbed at least twice before, in 2012 and 2013. Investigators later determined that the same personidentified as Andre Tader Frankliinwas responsible for both robberies. In 2014, Franklin was sentenced to four years in prison.
The incident in California occurred just a few days before of thieves on October 19, taking French crown jewels valued at around 102 million dollars.
Police in connection with the high-profile robbery but have made no announcement about the recovery of the stolen jewelry.
A few hours before the assault on the Louvre, the House of Enlightenment Denis Diderot he had also been the target of a robbery, planned in detail. Apparently, museum robberies are all the rage.
