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Man admits role in sale of historic diary stolen from Old South Church
By adamg on Wed, 11/19/2014 - 7:48am
Michael Ford, 66, of Cambridge could get five years in federal prison when sentenced on an identity-theft charge related to the 2008 theft and sale of a 17th-century diary from Old South Church.
In a guilty plea on Monday, Ford acknowledged that he used somebody else's driver's license to cash a $750 check from a Harvard Square bookstore for James Hull's diary, the US Attorney's office in Boston reports.
The bookstore thereafter realized the diary had substantial historic significance and sold it to a collector for $40,000. After the sale, upon learning that the diary had been stolen, the bookstore bought it back and restored it to the Church.
The federal indictment against Ford does not charge him with the theft of the diary.
He's scheduled for sentencing in February.
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Comments
Confusing Summary
Is this saying that the bookstore unknowingly purchased a stolen book for $750 only to have someone steal the check they wrote and cash it? Did they also catch the person who stole it in the first place and was that the same person who they initially made the $750 check out to?
Theft aside, it seems strange the bookstore would be willing to spend $750 for a antique book without researching its history first. From the summery it sounds like they had some idea of its value when they purchased it which is why they were able to later sell it for $40k.
Glad to hear the book made it back to it's rightful owner.
EDIT: Fixed spelling, thanks.
Summary. Sorry, had to.
Summary. Sorry, had to.
- Perp stole the book
- Perp stole the book
- perp sells it to the bookstore for $750, gives him a check
- perp cashes the check with a license that's not his (probably at a check cashing place), presumably to hide his identity that he was the thief
- book store sells the book for $40k
- book store realizes it's stolen, buys it back from the person they sold it to
But the Feds aren't charging him with the theft of the book
Either there's no proof of the perp committing the theft? Or he cashed the check on behalf of the thief?
Might be difficult in proving
Might be difficult in proving how he got it. He cashed the check with someone else's id, that's illegal.
Could get 5 years?
How about "will" get 5 years! What a jerk.
More like
"should" get five years. Unfortunately, that's up to a judge to decide.