Thursday, July 11, 1 p.m. ET Over the years, thanks to The Thomas Crown Affair, art thieves have generally been seen as alluring and sexy. So how does reality mesh with Hollywood? In June 2002, the FBI - in cooperation with the Spanish National Police - conducted a sting operation that netted three individuals and 10 pieces of stolen art, valued at over $50 million. The recovered art was a portion of that which was stolen in August 2001 from a private residence in Madrid, Spain. This Thursday, Art Theft Program Manager Lynne Chaffinch will discuss this case and other art theft investigations that comprise this multi-billion dollar worldwide crime problem. Chaffinch will also discuss the newly redesigned Art Theft Program page that includes a clickable map, enabling visitors to view stolen and recovered art from a particular country.
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Comment from Lynne Chaffinch: Welcome to the Art Theft Program live chat session hosted by USATODAY.com. Illicit trafficking in art and cultural artifacts is a major category of international crime. This includes theft of individual works of art, looting of archaeological sites and smuggling. It results in multi-billion dollar losses worldwide each year. These losses cannot be viewed just as monetary losses, but losses to our cultural heritage. Because of the high value of some artwork it has also been involved in other areas of crime including fraud, extortion and organized crime. The recent redesign of the Art Theft Program's web site emphasizes the international aspect of this crime problem. I look forward to the opportunity of addressing your questions today. Let's get started. ----------------------------------------------------------------
New York, NY: Hello FBI, In a case like the Spain/NY investigation, who has jurisdiction. How does FBI NY get involved and how does Spain get involved?
Lynne Chaffinch: The FBI has over 40 offices located overseas, called Legal Attaches. Requests for foreign police cooperation cases are made through these offices. The FBI's office in Madrid assisted in the coordination of this investigation with the Spanish National Police. Due to the fact that the paintings were stolen in Spain, and recovered there, the Spanish National Police have jurisdiction in the recovery and prosecution.
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Houston, Texas: How did this become a case for the FBI? Were any of the pieces recoverd in this operation stolen from the United States? Are the people in custody involved in crimes of the same nature in the United States? I would like to congragulate the FBI for a diligent job and the hard work you and others put in to make the United States the greatest and safest country in the world.Thank you and keep up the good work.
Lynne Chaffinch: All of the artwork was stolen during a theft from a private residence in Madrid, Spain. The paintings were also recovered in Spain. I have no information regarding the subjects who were arrested by the Spanish National Police. Thank you for your kind words.
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Fredericksburg, VA: Has putting art theft reports on the Internet helped you recovery stolen art?
Lynne Chaffinch: Yes, putting Art Theft Notices on the FBI web site has been very beneficial to the Art Theft Program. The FBI maintains the National Stolen Art File, a computerized database of stolen art and cultural property. This database is restricted to access by law enforcement officials. The web site enables us to provide theft information to the general public when that is appropriate to the investigation and has been approved by the victim. It has also generated a lot of interest in the Art Theft Program. Recently, the FBI recovered a painting by Marc Chagall, which was the direct result of someone seeing the painting listed on the Art Theft Notices. ------------------------------------------------------------
Providence Rhode Island: How do you stop these people from stealing the paintings. What are your plans in doing so?
Lynne Chaffinch: The FBI works closely with museums, dealers and collectors in the protection of cultural property. The actual physical security of the collections is up to the owner of the property. One of our main difficulties in investigating art theft cases is the lack of documentation when the theft occurs. We encourage owners to photograph and document their collections before something happens to it. This includes the artist, dimensions, signatures/marks, and other uniquely identifiable information.
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Los Angeles, California: Hi: Where is most art stolen from and what are the motives for the thefts?
Lynne Chaffinch: In the realm of international art theft, the United States is a consumer of artwork stolen worldwide. We have a large and wealthy art market where many items are brought to be sold. Countries where art is stolen most often include those in Asia, South America, Africa, and Europe. In the U.S., I receive most of my theft reports from New York and Los Angeles.
Motives for art theft include the most obvious financial reasons, but in addition some thieves steal cultural property to possess it. We have also had some thieves who took artwork stating that they would provide it better care than its legitimate owner. These motives are unique as compared to the theft of other personal property, including vehicles.
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New York: How is investigating art theft different than other theft investigations? Do you need a lot of art training to do it?
Lynne Chaffinch: Art theft cases are investigated using the same investigative techniques as other property crime cases. The unique aspect of investigating these cases is the specialized knowledge of the artwork itself. The Art Theft Program maintains liaison with many members of the art community who provide assistance in cases, depending on the type of art involved. These services include authentication and appraisals for court purposes.
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Washington, DC: Hello Lynne - Does the FBI have art experts on staff who assist in art-related cases? Thanks.
Lynne Chaffinch: The FBI does not maintain art experts on staff. We also do not have Special Agents assigned to only art theft cases. The same agents who would investigate other property crimes, including jewelry theft, vehicle theft and cargo theft, will also investigate art theft cases. We have a few agents who work these cases on a regular basis and have had some art training.
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Alexandria, VA: Do you think or is there any evidence that the money made from stolen art supports terrorism?
Lynne Chaffinch: The art theft crime problem is very different in the U.S. than it is overseas. In the U.S. most of our art theft is the result of residential burglaries where a thief sees something they think would be valuable. Our art thieves are rarely knowledgeable in artwork. Overseas, art theft is a more organized crime activity and therefore more closely tied to other crime activities such as fraud and extortion. I have seen little evidence of stolen artwork tied to terrorism in the U.S. We do see occasional cases here where art is traded for drugs. -------------------------------------------------------------------
Oregon: Good day. If the art is insured and stolen, then the art owner probably gets paid insurance. What happens after $50 million of art is returned to their rightful owner after a year or so? thank you
Lynne Chaffinch: Once a piece of artwork is recovered we must determine the legitimate owner before it can be returned. If the insurance company has paid the victim, then the insurance company is the legitimate owner of the piece. The victim will have to refund the money to the insurance company to get ownership of their artwork back. Art collectors with insured collections should be sure these issues are addressed in their policy.
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New York, New York : Stolen art is a major problem. How can someone protect themselves from buying stolen art? What about art looted during World War II?
Lynne Chaffinch: Due diligence is a very key issue in the art community these days. There are many discussions as to what a due diligence search is and the steps involved. This is determined by the type of artwork being purchased and the parties involved. Some purchasers like to take the step of checking a stolen art database when they are going to purchase a piece of art. Unfortunately, the FBI cannot check its National Stolen Art File for this purpose, since it is a law enforcement database. Private databases, such as the Art Loss Register in New York, can provide this service for you.
The FBI Art Theft Program works closely with organizations which deal in World War II looted artwork, such as the Holocaust Art Restitution Project, Commission for Art Recovery and the Art Loss Register. The FBI rarely handles these cases because of the number of years that have lapsed since the theft. There is seldom a criminal violation, therefore these cases are usually handled as a civil action.
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New York, NY : What percentage of stolen art is recovered?
Lynne Chaffinch: Recovery of stolen art is fairly low, perhaps 5-10%. This is due to a number of factors, including the lack of documentation at the time of theft, the lack of reporting requirements to stolen art databases and the nature of our unregulated art market.
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Hillville, New Bartford: Is there a reward for returning stolen art?
Lynne Chaffinch: Rewards are determined on a case-by-case basis.
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Bird In Hand, Pa: I am a frequent visitor to the FBI website. I have noticed a number of changes to the art theft page, can you tell me about it?
Lynne Chaffinch: The Art Theft Program, in conjunction with the FBI Web Team, redesigned the art section of the web site to focus more on the international aspect of the crime problem. The FBI was receiving increased theft reports from other countries and was trying to determine the best way to publicize these thefts in an effort to make recoveries. The new format makes it easier to search the theft notices by the country of theft, as opposed to the previous organization by the type of object, such as paintings or sculptures. We have drastically increased the number of international art theft notices posted. This was done in conjunction with international law enforcement agencies and the International Council of Museums.
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Chicago: What advice do you gve to collectors to protect their artwork? are there standard forms I can fill out that cover all this information?
Lynne Chaffinch: The FBI's National Stolen Art File, uses "Object ID" for describing stolen artwork. This is an international standard which was developed by the Getty Museum and is used by law enforcement agencies worldwide. Object ID has a web site (www.object- id.com) on the Internet which defines the fields of descriptive information, including the type of object, artist, title, dimensions, marks, etc. We encourage collectors to complete the Object ID information for all of their cultural property so it can be provided to the police in case of a theft. A color image is also very important. Recovery of an object increases dramatically with an image.
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Virginia: Ms. Chaffinch- What is your background? Did the FBI train you in the art field, or did you have this background when you started working for theM? How can I get your job?
Lynne Chaffinch: I came to the FBI from the museum field and have a BA in Anthropology and a MA in Museum Studies. I also have a background in computers, which I need to manage the National Stolen Art File. I have learned a lot about the law enforcement side of art theft since coming to the FBI.
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Washington DC: What is happening to find the other pieces of art stolen from that particular residence? I seem to remember that there were 20+ pieces stolen originally. Is this an ongoing case?
Lynne Chaffinch: Yes, this is an ongoing investigation, although it will be pursued by the Spanish National Police, not the FBI. We will retain the unrecovered items on the National Stolen Art File and the Art Theft Notices on the FBI web site in hopes of a recovery in the future.
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Washington, DC: http://cgi1.usatoday.com/