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

this is risky because, if the painting is stolen shortly after the person turns down the offer, the owner would only have to alert the local authorities as to who contacted him. However, should the broker approach the rightful owner and not represent exactly who he is trying to buy it for, then it cannot be traced as easily. Another downfall to this type of bid is that the owner will probably sell it to Mr. Jones at top dollar.

Scenario 2: Now let's proceed to the more common way of acquiring the desired painting. Mr. Jones will use the services of a quasi-legal private investigator to determine the rightful owner and location of the desired painting. From that point he contacts a fence who he knows will deal in stolen art and antiques. Of course, these fences are sub-specialists to regular fences and are extremely difficult to find unless you know how. In these incidents the art, antique and jewelry fence will not be your corner pawnbroker, but may in fact be another legitimate dealer or an avid collector of these works.

After reaching out to the professional art fence, it is the fence's turn to go into action as a broker. The fence contracts to someone else for the physical theft. In this particular instance the object is stolen to order.

In It for the Money

Mr. Jones wanted the missing Dali for personal pleasure. Now, the professional art thief has a completely different set of rules. Although any work of art in theory can be stolen, its usefulness to a thief depends on a complex web of interplaying factors. What is the demand on the free market for the item? How anonymous is the work of art or how can its identity be removed without destroying its value? Is it likely to be cataloged or recorded? Two principles determine the criminal's final choice: If it is not desirable it will not sell; if it is well known it can be traced.

The Role of the Fence in Art Theft

In the case of art, jewelry and antique thefts, the fence plays a crucial and pivotal role in the theft process. A fence, of course, is a person who will actually receive the property from the thief, and then either use it for his own benefit, or turn around and sell it to someone interested in the commodity, who in turn may resell it. You can imagine how

difficult it is to get rid of something that is significant historically and politically, especially immediately after the crime has been committed. That is why in most of the cases where there is a major art or jewelry theft, everything has already been laid in place for the ultimate disposal of that stolen item.

For example, let's assume there is a family who is very wealthy and has collected several Salvador Dali paintings. The home is burglarized, but the wheels were set in motion weeks to months before for the ultimate disposal of those paintings. The theft of them will make the local and, sometimes, national newspapers, but by that time, the items will have already been deposited with their new owner. In this manner, the fence is acting more in the capacity of a broker, much like one for stocks or bonds. The art and jewelry thief must use the fence to dispose of the item in advance, because of its uniqueness and difficulty of disposing it through routine channels.

Follow along the progression of a theft to its ultimate disposal. Let's take the case of a very famous stamp collector. He has the stamp series issued in 1919 honoring airplanes in the United States. One stamp was accidently minted upside down and 1,000 pieces were issued. Even though many people recognized this to be collectible back in 1919, let's presume that 100 to 150 of the stamps were used and postmarked by the Post Office.

So now we have 850 uncirculated stamps grabbed up by collectors back in 1919. Be aware of the fact that every person who collected the stamp back in 1919 has most likely either kept it, sold it or had it stolen since the date it was struck. People who collect stamps and have antique and extremely valuable collections usually know who has the missing items they need for their collection. People involved in art and antique collecting buy several items that they can use as leverage to obtain the item that they really want. Most collectors would never dream of stealing from other collectors; part of the fun for them is the bargaining and trading. But, there are people who are so engrossed in completing their collection that they will do anything to obtain the missing piece or pieces.

Capturing Art and Jewelry Thieves

Art theft and crooked fences alone keep many police forces throughout the world occupied. More than $200 million in art objects are stolen every year, making such thefts the biggest criminal pursuits after international smuggling and selling of drugs like heroin and cocaine. To combat this epidemic of art crime, police in Europe and America have set up special art theft squads.

The Art Squad

Penalties for art crimes are much stiffer in England than in the United States. In England, art theft is taken very seriously, and the minimum sentence is usually five years. The English feel that when art is stolen, part of the national heritage is also stolen. In the United States, however, jail sentences for art-related crimes are usually the exception, rather than the rule.

London is a clearinghouse for black market art and antiques, but it has one of the most efficient art detective units in the world. The Art Squad was established in 1968 at New Scotland Yard with approximately eleven detectives, and it has recovered more than $350 million dollars worth of stolen art. Among the first to use a computer, Scotland Yard has built up an international log of some 25,000 paintings and sculptures and other art treasures —a sort of identification kit. The description of