theft

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345-Mile Boat Chase 'Out of a Mission Impossible Movie'

Coast Guard pursues alleged boat thieves across Gulf of Mexico

(Newser) - Some Christmas Eve: Members of the US Coast Guard spent it in high-speed pursuit of three suspected boat thieves across the Gulf of Mexico, NBC News reports. The chase began when a sheriff's marine unit in Fort Myers, Fla., responded to a tip about a 36-foot powerboat being stolen....

Charges: Psychic Cons $200K From Lacoste Heir

She allegedly told the victim 'evil spirits' would get her

(Newser) - A professional psychic is accused of conning more than $200,000 out of a wealthy University of Colorado student, the Longmont Times-Call reports. Victoria Lacoste—of the Lacoste clothing family—started getting tarot card readings and spiritual advice from 32-year-old Becky Ann Lee, owner of Psychic Chakra Spa in Boulder,...

Watch: Man Loses Money Stealing Tip Jar

His crime didn't add up

(Newser) - Danny Ocean, he's not. UPI reports a thief was operating at a loss when he made off with a restaurant's tip jar while leaving behind the food he'd already paid for Friday in New Zealand. Security footage from Nando's Riccarton shows a man putting a tip...

Why Clever Utah Residents Are Wrapping Rocks, Junk

Locals are trying to thwart holiday thieves

(Newser) - A man in one Utah community says his neighbors have begun placing decoy packages on front porches in an effort to thwart holiday delivery thieves. Rocks, old clothes, and junk televisions are among items that resident Kroger Menzer says residents in the Daybreak neighborhood of South Jordan have been putting...

Guy Who Sold Stolen Brains on eBay Sentenced

He took remains of mental patients from old hospital

(Newser) - A man who stole the preserved brains of mental patients from a former hospital for the insane and sold them on eBay has been sentenced by a judge who wants him to find a less macabre way to make a living. David Charles, 23, was ordered to obtain a high...

1K Christmas Trees Lifted From Fla. Costco

2 trailers crammed with trees taken from Kendall superstore

(Newser) - The holiday season kicked off with a bah-humbug bang this week with reports of an ambitious theft from a Florida Costco. Miami-Dade police are trying to find two 53-foot semi-truck trailers crammed with 500 Christmas trees each, taken sometime between 8pm and midnight Tuesday from outside the Kendall warehouse, the...

US Retail Workers Stole $16.6B From Employers This Year

Theft by employees a bigger problem in the US than elsewhere

(Newser) - The good news: Stores in the US lose less revenue to shoplifting than their counterparts in other countries. The bad news: Retail workers in the US are doing more of the stealing themselves … to the tune of $16.6 billion during the past year, according to Checkpoint Systems' Global...

Alleged Jewelry Thieves Left Parting Gift in Guest Book

Tip: Don't leave contact info if you're going to lift valuables from an art gallery

(Newser) - Signing the guest book at a wedding or funeral: fine. Signing one at an art gallery you're accused of stealing from: not the best idea. That's what one Florida couple allegedly did Saturday night when they visited ICFA Gallery in Palm Beach, reportedly lifting the owner's gold...

Portland Thieves Take Off With Tofu Truck

Vehicle was eventually found—but not the tofu or organic juice that was inside

(Newser) - In what could be the most Portland crime ever, the hapless driver of a refrigerated truck for a Seattle natural-foods wholesaler reported his tofu-laden vehicle stolen Tuesday, the Oregonian reports. The driver made a morning stop at a Safeway, but came back out after 20 minutes or so to find...

Thieves Nab Diamonds From Russia's 'Fort Knox'

A 23-carat diamond among those to vanish in apparent bait-and-switch

(Newser) - Rough diamonds worth millions have vanished from the repository that holds Russia's supply of gold, silver, diamonds, and gems even though it is "supposedly impenetrable," in the words of NBC News . State-owned diamond mining company Severalmaz says it gave 150,000 carats, or 66 pounds, of diamonds...

Thief's Ex Clueless She Had Stolen Stradivarius for Years

Says she almost fainted when appraiser said they had to call the FBI

(Newser) - Philip Johnson was dying of pancreatic cancer when he brought his former wife, Thanh Tran, to the basement of his home in Venice, Calif. Under a tarp weighted down with bricks was a violin case with a combination lock. He gave the case to Tran and didn't say a...

How a Stolen Stradivarius Surfaced After 35 Years

Roman Totenberg was right to suspect Phillip Johnson: FBI

(Newser) - Violinist Roman Totenberg always suspected who stole his $250,000 1734 Stradivarius violin from his office in Cambridge, Mass., after a concert in 1980. Security cameras spotted violinist Phillip Johnson, then 27, lingering outside the room and Johnson's ex-girlfriend later said he had taken it. Without proof, Totenberg could...

Now Entering Our Lexicon: Hamster Theft

Couple felt class pet 'was alone and they wanted a hamster'

(Newser) - Normally, burglars target things like expensive electronics over things like, say, small, ubiquitous rodents, but police in rural Maine say a couple has been busted with swiping a hamster named Link from the kindergarten classroom of the Cornville Regional Charter School last week, reports Central Maine . Though the pair's...

Guy Swipes $150K That ATM Workers Left on Curb

Whoops.

(Newser) - The cash might have been sitting right there for the taking, but cops are now looking for the man who yesterday swiped a bag filled with $150,000 from a curb in Mahwah, NJ, the AP reports. Police don't know who took the money yet, but they do know...

Couple's Stolen SUV Returned —With Upgrades

Thief helped get the broken down Durango running at least

(Newser) - If your broken-down vehicle is going to be stolen, at least hope it’s by a thief who knows how to handle a wrench. KHOU reports a couple in Texas were understandably bummed when their 2004 Dodge Durango disappeared from the shoulder of Highway 59 in Cleveland where it went...

7 Stolen Rare Pythons May Die If Not Returned: Owner

Snakes taken from Ohio pet store are all in need of medical care

(Newser) - Seven rare pythons have been stolen from an Ohio pet store, and the company's CEO is desperate to get them back because none of them are in great shape, Cleveland.com reports. Five of the snakes lifted from Akron Rattery and Reptile Rescue on Saturday evening are sick with...

Stolen Cabin Turns Up 10 Miles Away

Police: Suspect was 'planning on living in it'

(Newser) - A stolen cabin has been discovered 10 miles from where it was plucked from its foundation in northeastern Washington. A tip led authorities yesterday to a "very remote, narrow road down in a ravine" on private property, where the 200-square-foot "Hempel Hideaway" was found, owner Chris Hempel tells...

Family Discovers Theft at Cabin—the Entire Cabin

Hempels of Washington state get a rude surprise

(Newser) - The Hempel family has a name for their vacation property in rural northeastern Washington: "Hempel Hideaway." But thanks to thieves, that name has now taken on a new, unfortunate meaning. When Chris Hempel arrived at the 20-acre property in Springdale on Tuesday, she found something odd. "We...

Hackers Rob Up to $1B in 'World's Biggest Bank Raid'

Thieves allegedly infiltrate more than 100 banks worldwide

(Newser) - A hacking ring has allegedly stolen up to $1 billion from banks around the world in what appears to be one of the biggest banking breaches known; the Telegraph calls it the "world's biggest bank raid." The hackers have been active since at least the end of...

How an Angry Thief Gave America Its 1st Big Sex Tape
How a Criminal Found America's First Big Sex Tape
in case you missed it

How a Criminal Found America's First Big Sex Tape

And distributed it with money from a mobster's son

(Newser) - Remember an old sex tape, before Kim Kardashian, starring an actress and a rocker on a yacht? Well, the 1996 video that fully unveiled Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee only went public because an electrician stole it, a mobster's son funded it, and lawyers couldn't contain it, Rolling ...

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