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Subject:
From:
Angie Cope <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum
Date:
Fri, 8 Feb 2008 08:34:24 -0600
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (125 lines)
-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        RE: lessons from a bungled theft
Date:   Thu, 7 Feb 2008 18:03:25 -0500
From:   Grabach, Kenneth A. Mr. <[log in to unmask]>
To:     Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>



Thank you for sharing this information with the community.  It is reassuring to see that the legal system recognizes the seriousness of such attempts.  However, the court as well as the library staff who were affected, would disagree with everyone who characterizes this episode as funny.

These young men, students at a private university, have accomplished the following:

Consipired, planned, and attempted the theft of very valuable materials belonging to a library.
Conspired and planned to sell the stolen property to a major auction house.
Put staff in harm's way.
Threatened a staff person with intent to injure her, targeting her because she was working alone at the time in her department.
Appealed the sentence on frivolous grounds.
Wasted their families' outlay for their tuition and living expenses at university.
Incurred legal and court costs for their defense and appeal, probably that their families were required to cover.
Harmed their career plans for at least the near term.

Their attempt is funny in a rather stupid sort of way, but I do not find this a situation worth laughing at.  I am very glad that the U.S. District Court judge also did not find this laughable, but instead saw the serious nature of their crime.  However poorly it was planned and carried out, it was still serious in its intent.  When a crime is carried out so clumsily, it is all too easy to laugh at the ineptitude.  Fortunately, it was able to be thwarted.  But the anxiety caused to the woman and to other staff of the library, and the aggravation to the students' families, will not easily be laughed away.

Ken Grabach                         <[log in to unmask]>
Maps Librarian                         Phone: 513-529-1726
Miami University Libraries
Oxford, Ohio  45056  USA

________________________________________
From: Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Angie Cope [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 10:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: lessons from a bungled theft

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Re: lessons from a bungled theft
Date:   Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:47:56 -0600
From:   [log in to unmask]
To:     Maps-L <[log in to unmask]>


Here is the court decision
http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/08a0062p-06.pdf [PDF]

It sounds kind of scary for the librarian(s) who acted intelligently and
courageously.

Angie
--


-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Re: lessons from a bungled theft
Date:   Thu, 7 Feb 2008 10:15:41 -0500
From:   Rich Green <[log in to unmask]>
To:     Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>



This is a hoot!  The defendant who unsuccessfully tried to rat out his
cohorts appealed and not only lost his appeal but got all of the defendants
sentences set aside because, according to the appellate court's decision,
they weren't sentenced harshly enough!

Now, instead of the original 87 month sentence they all received (of a
possible 87-108 months), a new sentencing hearing will take place that must
recognize the appellate court findings and that must include a term of
between 108-135 months.

Justice is served!

Rich Green
Historic Archaeological Research
4338 Hadley Court
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Office:  (765) 464-8735
Mobile: (765) 427-4082
www.har-indy.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Angie Cope" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 9:48 AM
Subject: lessons from a bungled theft


> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject:        lessons from a bungled theft
> Date:   Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:32:13 -0500
> From:   Michael Fry <[log in to unmask]>
> Organization:   University of Maryland Libraries
> To:     Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
> US Court of Appeals just handed down a ruling in US v Allen, et al., which
> describes four "college
> buddies" and their rather half-witted attempts to steal rare materials
> from their college library by
> brute force and sell them through Christie's auction house.
>
> The defendants pleaded guilty and were convicted, but they appealed their
> sentences on the grounds
> that 1) a pen-type stun gun isn't a dangerous weapon, and 2) they
> shouldn't be punished for stealing
> items that they didn't successfully remove from the building. One of the
> four defendants also argued
> that his sentence should be further reduced because, among other things,
> "his ideas and suggestions
> were routinely rejected during the planning stages."
>
> Aside from the librarian they frightened, zapped with the stun pen (to no
> real effect), and tied up,
> the whole escapade is pretty funny. You can read it at
> http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/08a0062p-06.pdf.
>
> mf
> --
> Michael Fry
> Map Librarian
> Government Documents & Maps
> 4118 McKeldin Library
> University of Maryland
> College Park, MD 20742
> 301.314.1357 | [log in to unmask]

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