Synova Cantrell - Snatched: The FBI’s Top Ten Art Crimes and more (Synova’s Case Files Book 2017)

Synovas Case Files Series

SNATCHED

By:

Synova Cantrell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without prior written consent of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations for reviewing purposes.

All information in this book is public knowledge and can easily be verified online. For more information check out www.synovaink.com

Printed in the United States of America

Copyright 2018 by Synova Cantrell, SynovaInk

Dedication:

To the family and friends who have stuck with me through this process.

Introduction:

Sit back and relax my readers as I regale you with tales of master art thieves, bumbling criminals, and multi-million-dollar heists from around the world. I will tell you stories of mafia-commissioned heists, of daredevil art thieves, and of the brave men and women of the FBI Art team who are trying to stop this multi-billion-dollar industry of art crime. Enjoy.

The FBIs Top 10 Art Crimes:

1. Looted Iraqi Artifacts:

7,000-10,000 pieces

(value incalculable)

1. Isabella Stewart Gardner

Museum, Boston:

13 pieces stolen

(est. value - $500 million)

1. Swedens National Museum: 3 paintings stolen

(est. value - $36 million)

1. Munch Museum:

2 paintings stolen

(est. value - $30 million)

1. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna:

1 sculpture stolen

(est. value - $68 million)

1. Palermo Chapel Heist:

1 painting stolen

(est. value - $20 million)

1. Stolen Stradivarius:

Davidov Stradivarius violin

(est. value $3.5 million)

1. Van Gogh Museum:

2 paintings stolen

(est. value $54 million)

1. Ashmolean Museum Heist:

1 painting stolen

(est. value $3.7 million)

1. Drumlanrig Castle, Scotland

1 painting stolen

(est. value $65 million)

If you have any information on these art crime cases, please contact your local FBI office or call 1-800-CALLFBI.

Chapter 1:

FBI ART Crime Team

A lone figure crouches in the shadows waiting. His cat-like instincts are sharp as his ears strain to hear the slightest sound. The museum visitors are long gone. Only two guards stand between him and the payoff. The old masters work had hung in peace for decades, but now violence was imminent.

Somewhere in the distance, an old church bell clangs out the hour. 1 oclock. The bewitching hour has come.

A quiet whiz splits the air as the claws of a grappling hook find their mark. The dark figure scales the wall and crosses the rooftop unnoticed. Moments later the figure drops to the museum floor outside a laser minefield.

Three excruciating minutes of contortionist gymnastics and the black-clad figure is through the last obstacle. In front of him hangs $100 million in a gilded frame.

Within seconds he has the painting off the wall and out of its frame. Stuffing his treasure into his backpack he exits.

Two days later hes halfway around the world sipping fruity drinks on the yacht of an evil art connoisseur. His paramilitary gear has been traded for an Armani suit, a Rolex, and a sun-soaked blond hanging neatly on his arm.

This story is fictional, but its is a stereotype that Hollywood has spent decades creating for us with movies like the Thomas Crown Affair, and Dr. No. Unfortunately, none of it is true. The FBI says that art crime is a $6 - $8 billion business, and yet the concept of an evil art lover hiring a gentleman thief to steal priceless paintings is not reality. This book will show you how Hollywood has changed our view of art crime.

In all my research I find the exciting part of art crime is the chase. The FBI set up the Art Crime Team in 2004 to combat this growing problem. Some of their stories are more in line with what we think about art crime.

Robert (Bob) Wittman joined the FBI in 1988. He possessed specialized knowledge of art and antiquities, and the worked as an expert in cultural property crime before the establishment of the Art Crime Team. During his FBI tenure, he recovered $300 million worth of stolen art.

In 2010, Wittman wrote a book about his adventures with the FBI titled, Priceless: How I went Undercover to Rescue the Worlds Stolen Treasures. He highlights several of his cases in this book from the time he helped recover the golden armor of a Peruvian king to the time he recovered Geronimos headdress.

While the thieves may not be the Pierce Brosnan type, theres definitely a team of good guys out chasing down the stolen art. Even though several nations have established their art crime divisions a shocking amount of stolen art is nevear recovered. The FBI estimates only 3% will be returned to its proper owner. Consider the fact that 60,000 pieces are stolen annually around the world. Twenty thousand pieces are taken in Italy alone. That is a monumental amount of lost artwork. Where does it all go?

The facts are disturbing. Fiction says the thief steals a $100 million, Picasso. Hes hired by some wealthy businessman who hangs the painting in his evil lair on an island somewhere. Reality is much darker.

The thieves are usually thugs who have no idea how to fence a stolen painting. Several global databases keep records of the stolen artworks making it hard for the thieves to sell the pieces on the open market. So, what do they do with the Picasso? Surely theres a shady art dealer out there somewhere. There might be a shady art dealer, but he knows that the famous painting cant be sold so he wont touch it.

There are many countries now that handle global databases full of stolen artwork. All reputable auction houses will check these databases to see if a painting is stolen before they will sell the item. This process dramatically hinders the underworld operations.

How do thieves get paid for the crime? The street price of a stolen piece is 10% of the value. Simply put, this means the thief can trade the stolen loot for drugs, guns, or other stolen property thats easier to sell. If a man takes a million-dollar painting, he can fence it for about a hundred grand.

In many cases, a thief will steal art and store it until the museum posts a reward. Then he will play the role of a concerned citizen and turn in the piece. Other times the thieves will send ransom letters to the museums. These are very rarely accepted, but it still happens.

There are many incidences where a criminal will use priceless artwork as a get out of jail free card and will use it as a bargaining chip to earn a lesser sentence. Unfortunately, this happens a lot.

The illegal art trade funds nearly every type of criminal organization from the mafia to drug traffickers, and even terrorist organizations. Did you know that before the 911 attacks one of the terrorists tried to purchase an airplane with a stolen painting? This plan fell through, and the world found out about this plan on that fateful day in September.

During the U.S. invasion into Iraq in 2003, the National Museum in Baghdad was looted of thousands of ancient artifacts. The relics dated back to the Mesopotamian, Babylonian, and Persian civilizations. Between April 8th and April 16th, a staggering amount of looting occurred. While some international media outlets tried to blame it on U.S. soldiers, several investigations were conducted, and all of them proved this to be false.

A special team led by Marine Col. Bogdanos was sent to investigate the thefts. A few days later the FBI got involved. Although many items have been found and returned, the museums collection is far from complete.

This robbery is number one on the FBIs Top 10 list and continues to be their top priority in the field of art crime. The Baghdad Museum robbery was the crime that ensured the creation of the Art Crime Team. It was this case that made the FBI realize they needed a specialized rapid deployment team for art crime.