Antique map thief behind bars

A renowned dealer who admitted stealing nearly 100 rare antique maps was sentenced Wednesday to 3 1/2 years in prison after one librarian described him as a "thief who assaulted history." E. Forbes Smiley III, a 50-year-old resident of Martha's Vineyard, also was tentatively ordered to pay restitution of $1.9 million (euro 1.5 million), though that figure may change. He is scheduled to report to prison Jan. 4.

Smiley, who faced up to six years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, stole the maps over eight years from the New York and Boston public libraries, the Newberry Library in Chicago, the Harvard and Yale university libraries and the British Library in London.

"Your honor, I have hurt many people," he said in court Wednesday. "I stole very valuable research materials from institutions that made it their business to provide those materials to the public for valuable research. I am deeply ashamed of having done that.

U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton said she wanted to send a dual message with the sentence. "If you steal human treasurers, then you will go to prison, but if you help recover them, this will be taken into account and weighed in the balance," she said.

Leaders of the prestigious libraries urged a stiff sentence for Smiley, saying he took world treasures and left a trail of victims. "Mr. Smiley's crime is extremely serious," British Library Director Clive Field said during the sentencing hearing. "It will go down in criminal and library history as one of the largest, most prolonged, premeditated and systematic of all thefts from libraries, and with no mitigating circumstances."

Field and other librarians said Smiley stole world treasures, hurt staff morale, mutilated the maps, harmed scholars who count on the documents, and shattered the trust that is essential between libraries and their patrons.

Some of the maps have not been recovered, while others were damaged, the library noted. Smiley sought a sentence of up to three years, saying his extensive cooperation with authorities led to the recovery of most of the maps.

He acknowledged some maps were damaged, but said they were not mutilated. He noted that Smiley faces restitution of about $2 million (euro1.58 million) and cited charity work that he has done.

Prosecutors did not specify a sentence, but recommended Smiley be given credit for his cooperation with the investigation. Smiley, who pleaded guilty in June, was arrested after a Yale librarian found a razor blade on the floor. The arrest prompted Yale and other top map libraries to review their security procedures.

Authorities say Smiley acted out of resentment toward the prestigious libraries and to pay for his expensive tastes and mounting debts.

(AP)