French officials announced that an unusual band of petty crooks was probably behind the brazen jewel heist at the Louvre Museum last month. It’s now up to investigators to track down these brazen thieves. Laure Beccuau, the chief prosecutor of France, said this led the thieves to conduct the robbery in broad daylight. They made off with priceless objects estimated to be worth up to $150 million, including an emerald-and-diamond necklace once owned by Empress Marie-Louise which was presented to her by Napoleon I.
The heist took just seven minutes, illustrating the thieves’ boldness and utter disregard for law enforcement. They escaped the scene on scooters, with a stunned museum staff and tourists still gaping behind. After a rapid investigation, judicial police arrested two men — aged 37 and 38 years old — in the northeastern suburb of Aubervilliers. The married couple who have children together has been charged with organized retail crime and criminal conspiracy.
Details of the Heist
The Louvre heist did that in mid-morning, during peak visiting hours, reflecting an audacious degree of confidence from the thieves. For his part, Beccuau stressed that the suspects have no ties to organized crime syndicates. Rather, they are our neighbors with histories of public drunkenness and other misdemeanors.
Among the stolen items were eight pieces of jewelry. The pièce de résistance was a sparkling necklace, created in 1811 for Napoleon I to give to Empress Marie-Louise. This piece, along with others stolen during the heist, imbues the crime with a tragic historical significance. It raises the stakes of this incident well above what would be an average theft.
“They all lived more or less in Seine-Saint-Denis,” – Laure Beccuau
In addition to those charged, Beccuau announced that at least one other suspect is still at large. The participation – or orchestration – of previously convicted violators makes this case even more interesting. Both arrested suspects had criminal records. The 37-year-old man had a total of 11 convictions, mostly for robbery.
Criminal Backgrounds of Suspects
A co-defendant, a 37-year-old man, was charged with organized retail theft and criminal conspiracy. His background is troubling, as it is dotted with four felony convictions. His accomplice, a 38-year-old woman who is his partner in crime, has been charged with complicity in the daring heist. It’s their mutual history of petty crime that gets the real interest going. Was this loosely planned heist an escalation of their criminal undertakings, or just a high stakes gamble?
Investigators are looking into why the couple did it and whether they acted completely on their own or had support from others. The goal of the ongoing investigation is to figure out whether their past convictions factored into orchestrating a million-dollar armored car heist.
To dismiss the astronauts as small potatoes, the prosecutor asserted, would overlook that these quirky criminals pulled off a highly complex theft. Then, this violent and unexpected crime came crashing down upon law enforcement.
Ongoing Investigation
The inquiry into the Louvre museum heist still goes on as law enforcement tries to capture any possible calumniators still at large. Beccuau added that all the facts of the case should be scrutinized to ensure justice is served.
Now, as investigators continue to probe into the backgrounds of both riders and drivers involved. They do this in an effort to find patterns or larger schemes that may have enabled the robbery to take place. These were very high-profile items stolen, which is going to keep this case in the news and public eye. As it does, everyone will continue to want to know.
