Artifacts stolen decades ago returned to museums
March 14, 2023 | In the PressFrom WGAL.com (https://www.wgal.com/article/artifacts-stolen-decades-ago-returned-to-museums/43300562#)
Artifacts stolen from museums decades ago have been returned, including to some museums in the Susquehanna Valley.
Rifles, pistols and other pieces of American history thought to be long gone were returned to their rightful owners at a repatriation ceremony Monday morning at Philadelphia's Museum of the American Revolution.
The items were stolen nearly 50 years ago from 16 museums.
"When items from our past are stolen, the real victim is our future. All of us and future generations are robbed of the opportunity to learn," FBI Special Agent Jacqueline Maguire said.
The FBI's art crime team, along with other law enforcement, worked the case for years.
Michael Corbett pled guilty to the thefts and agreed to turn over stolen firearms, including two pistols taken from the U.S. Army Heritage and Educational Center in Carlisle.
Valerie Seiber, with the Hershey Story Museum, was at the ceremony to take home an inscribed volcanic pistol.
"Returning this pistol to the Hershey Story Museum and the public trust allows us as museum professionals and storytellers to share our nation's history – both the good and the bad – with our visitors," she said.
Security has since improved at museums, but authorities urged curators to document what they have in case of theft.
"If it happens, this will enable us to be able to get back what is yours," Assistant U.S. Attorney K.T. Newton said.
Museum representatives signed documents accepting the artifacts – signatures that ended a long war on a long-ago crime spree.
