Reports revealed that over 1000 artificats were stolen from the Oakland Museum of California earlier this month.
A report by the San Francisco Chronicle revealed that the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) was the victim of a massive heist on October 15th. Around 3.30 am, thieves broke into the storage facility (located away from the museum building) and stole at least 1,000 objects. These included general artifacts like jewelry, pearls, and precious stones, as well as specific antiquities like Native American baskets, daguerreotypes, and political pins. Furthermore, they also stole regular objects like laptops and cameras.
The Oakland Police Department and the FBI’s Art Crime Team have been doing a joint investigation of the theft. They stopped the news of the heist from becoming public to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. So far, the task force – which comprises 20 agents – has ruled out museum and storage facility staff from suspicion. They have revealed that the thieves did not enter from the main entrance of the facility, and there was no security present at the time of the theft. However, they have not yet revealed how many thieves undertook the heist.
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Lori Fogarty, director of the Oakland Museum of California, said: “This is our shared cultural legacy. In almost every case, the vast majority of our collection comes to us by gift, and we take it on as our responsibility to preserve it in the interest of the public and in the interest of the community. That’s why we want to put the word out to the community that this has happened and we’re hoping for help.”
The OMCA warehouse spans over 100,000 square feet and houses more than 2 million artifacts. This isn’t the first time it has been a subject of theft, either. In 2012 and 2013, it was hit by notorious burglar Andre Taray Franklin, who was later sentenced for the crime.
