Louvre Jewel Heist: Woman Charged with Complicity in Organized Theft
A 38-year-old woman, arrested along with four other suspects, appeared before a judge on Saturday to determine whether she will be detained in connection with the unprecedented jewel heist at the Louvre, according to French media reports. The woman, who lives in the northern La Courneuve suburb of Paris, has been charged with complicity in organized theft and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime.
During the hearing, the woman was in tears as she confirmed her address, an AFP journalist reported. At the request of the prosecution, the hearing continued behind closed doors. The Paris public prosecutor’s office had not specified how many suspects would be brought before the court earlier on Saturday.
Background on the Louvre Heist
Last month, thieves wielding power tools raided the Louvre, the world’s most visited art museum, in broad daylight, taking just seven minutes to steal jewelry worth an estimated $102 million. French authorities initially announced the arrest of two suspects, and this week prosecutors said that police had arrested five more people, including a prime suspect. The five detentions took place in and around Paris, particularly in Seine-Saint-Denis north of Paris.
One of the five people arrested this week was released without charge on Friday, said his lawyers, Sofia Bougrine and Noemie Gorin. “In these serious crime cases, we find that waves of arrests look more like drift nets,” Bougrine told AFP on Saturday, pointing to what she said was the indiscriminate nature of some of the arrests.
Investigation and Charges
The first two men arrested previously were charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after “partially admitting to the charges,” Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said this week. One is a 34-year-old Algerian national living in France, who was identified by DNA traces found on one of the scooters used to flee after the heist. The second suspect is a 39-year-old unlicensed taxi driver from the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers. Both were known to the police for having committed thefts.
The stolen loot remains missing, including a diamond- and emerald-studded crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, which was dropped by the thieves as they escaped. The burglars made off with eight other items of jewelry, among them an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem that once belonged to the Empress Eugenie, which is dotted with nearly 2,000 diamonds.
Challenges in Selling the Stolen Gems
Master jeweler and Parisian gem appraiser Stephen Portier told CBS News that it would be difficult to sell the gems due to their high profile. “The whole world knows about this robbery. Dealers will have pictures of every single piece up in their offices,” he said. “So if they think they’re being offered diamonds from the Louvre… they will ask some hard questions. And contact the police.” Experts have told CBS News that the jewels would still be worth millions of dollars if broken up and sold on the black market.
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