Three Years For a Thief Of Rare Maps
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A renowned antique map dealer who confessed to stealing nearly 100 rare maps was sentenced yesterday to 3 1/2 years in prison, after one librarian described him as a “thief who assaulted history.”
E. Forbes Smiley III, 50, also was tentatively ordered to pay restitution of $1.9 million. He is scheduled to report to prison January 4.
Smiley, who faced up to six years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, stole the maps over eight years from the New York and Boston public libraries, the Newberry Library in Chicago, the Harvard and Yale university libraries, and the British Library in London. The oldest maps dated back to the 1500s, and some are the first records of settlements, territories, and discoveries in America, specialists said.
“Your honor, I have hurt many people,” Smiley said in court. “I stole very valuable research materials from institutions that made it their business to provide those materials to the public for valuable research. I am deeply ashamed of having done that.”
Smiley, who pleaded guilty in June, was arrested after a Yale librarian found a razor blade on the floor. The arrest prompted Yale and other top map libraries to review their security procedures.
Authorities have said Smiley acted out of resentment toward the prestigious libraries and to pay for his expensive tastes and mounting debts.