A respected presidential historian has been charged with trying to steal millions of dollars worth of documents from the Maryland Historical Society. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
@WiL
Hail to the thief!
Barry Landau, 63, and his accomplice Jason Savedoff, 24, both of New York, were collared after a society employee spotted them trying to walk out with a document.
Cops later searched a locker belonging to Savedoff and found 60 valuable documents.
Among them were papers signed by Lincoln worth $300,000, presidential inaugural ball invites worth $500,000, a signed Statue of Liberty commemoration worth $100,000 and a Washington monument commemoration valued at $100,000.
The FBI says Landau had signed out many of the documents found in Savedoff’s locker.
Maryland Historical Society President Burt Kummerow said he was pleased the pair had been caught and the documents returned.
“It would have been a huge loss because then (the documents) are no longer in the public record and then they’re no longer available,” he told CNN.
In 2007, Landau authored a book titled, “The Presidential Table: Two Hundred Years of Dining and Diplomacy.”
Landau has a notable collection of inaugural memorabilia which is considered among the largest in private hands.
