Modus Operandi by Mauro Corvasce (universal ebook reader txt) 📕

about art theft that the art market has always been international; art crime is now also becoming so. This lends some colorful characters of thieves, fences and purchasers for your novels. Should you be writing about an art theft, it can encompass the globe. The unique quality of the work makes the disposal of artwork the key to profitable criminal activity. Whereas diamonds, gold and other items can be re-cut, melted down or otherwise disguised without too much effect on their resale value, a painting or sculpture is unique. It cannot be altered and retain its original value.

Unlike narcotics, which have to be traded in an illegal market, art has a legitimate market. The thief therefore has to find a means of disposing of his cache and of recirculating it in the legitimate market; once he has achieved this, he is safe, or as safe as he will ever be. The more valuable and well known the target, the greater the degree of risk and the more resourceful his plan of disposal must be. Smuggling objects to another country is one solution because this lessens or postpones the risk of the object's discovery and subsequent identification.

No amount of security or vigilance can stop art thieves as long as prices soar, and masterpieces fetch fabulous sums of money. Even the most efficient art squad lags one step behind determined thieves. It seems that the people who are immersed in the collection of art, antiques and jewelry have themselves forced the price up and are paying for art theft. As for Mauro and me, we're keeping a closer watch on our collection of velvet Elvises!

In the United States, a vehicle is stolen every twenty seconds. Auto theft is an $8 billion a year industry for criminals. Despite the new and ever-increasing security protections designed to foil theft attempts, auto theft is increasing yearly. State lawmakers and the federal government have increased the penalties for automobile thefts because of these statistics.

Surprisingly enough, carelessness in securing vehicles accounts for more than 20 percent of auto theft: one or more of the doors left unlocked, a window left down or partially open, a security system left unactivated. One or more of these items will attract thieves so that when we come out of the store or leave work for the trip home, we find only an empty parking space.

This chapter explores the methods vehicle thieves employ to secure their bounty. It will also explain the various enterprises that today's criminals use to commit their crimes.

Who's the Victim?

Today, vehicle theft is viewed as a victimless crime. The only ones who seem to get hurt are the insurance companies, who increase their fees to offset any losses. If you look at what happens when a vehicle is stolen, one could very easily see the positive side.

Your car is stolen, but you have insurance to cover your loss; therefore, you basically get a new car out of it. The car dealer is happy because you have to buy a new car from him, the car manufacturer is happy because that's one less car in his inventory, the car thief is happy because he's going to make money from stealing the car. If the car is sent to a chop shop, they are happy because they can sell the parts from your stolen car to a body repair station for half the price of that of the manufacturer. Now, the body shop is happy because later he can rip off the insurance company by charging full price for the parts he obtained cheaply from the chop shop. The owner of the vehicle that is getting repaired is happy because the body shop owner is absorbing his deductible. So, everybody is happy, and we have a victimless crime.

The only problem with this so-called victimless crime is that we are paying for it in injury, death and property damage caused by criminals fleeing capture. We also pay in the form of higher insurance premiums — some experts believe that a low estimation would be between ten and twenty percent; one source stated that twenty-one cents of every dollar in premiums goes to cover fraud and theft losses.

Basic Auto Theft

Juveniles, as young as ten years old, make up the majority of perpetrators who steal automobiles from the streets and parking lots of America. These juvenile offenders know that if apprehended, they will get little or no jail time for their crimes. The going price for a stolen vehicle is around five hundred dollars, so it is easy to see why stealing cars is so attractive to inner-city kids.

Juvenile auto thieves scour streets and parking lots trying to find an unsecured vehicle. By unsecured we mean doors unlocked, windows partly or fully open, and keys in the ignition. If, by chance, the vehicle is unlocked and the keys left inside, which is a petty crime in many localities, our young criminals will get into the vehicle, start it, and drive away to a prearranged location.

Sometimes a chop shop will place an order for a particular type of vehicle. The auto thief will conduct a surveillance of malls, health clubs or upscale lounges and restaurants. One method of this surveillance is to have a passenger van shuttle around a group of car thieves through the aforementioned areas. When a vehicle is located, the driver will stop the van letting out one of his passengers with instructions to steal the vehicle.

The Jimmie

The first option to gain entry into a locked car is to pick the lock. A device called a jimmie is used. A jimmie is made from spring steel and is inserted between the window and the rubber trim that protects the inside of the door. The jimmie has a soft rubber or plastic handle on one end and, on the other, a series of notches that can manipulate the lock mechanism. A jimmie can't be used on vehicles where the locking mechanism is electronic.

There are other types of jimmies designed to