[MSN] US. New Jersey woman pleads guilty to stealing rare atlas from Rockland Historical Society

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New Jersey woman pleads guilty to stealing rare atlas from Rockland Historical Society

By STEVE LIEBERMAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: August 14, 2007)

NEW CITY - A former Rockland Historical Society curator pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of stealing a rare atlas from the organization.

Rebecca Streeter-Chen, 50, of New Jersey pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny before County Court Judge Victor Alfieri. The count covers the theft of property valued at more than $50,000.

Prosecutors recommended Alfieri sentence Streeter-Chen to prison for 1 to 3 years on Oct. 15, Chief Assistant District Attorney Louis Valvo said yesterday.

Alfieri, however, indicated he would sentence Streeter-Chen to six months in the county jail and supervised probation on Oct. 15, but he would consider alternatives, Valvo said.

Streeter-Chen admitted in court to stealing an 1823 copy of "Tanner's New American Atlas" on April 22 from the Historical Society building in New City.

She went to the society that day with her two children and took the book from a storage room.

Streeter-Chen attempted to sell the atlas for $60,000 on May 24 to an owner of the Philadelphia Print Shop.

After the Historical Society realized the atlas by American mapmaker Henry Schenck Tanner was missing, curator Julia Hickey sent out an e-mail to rare-book dealers and museums about the theft.

Her e-mail was read by Christopher Lane, co-owner of the Philadelphia rare-book store.

Several hours before reading Hickey's e-mail, Lane has said, he had been contacted by e-mail about the availability of an 1823 copy of "Tanner's New American Atlas."

Lane said he then called the Historical Society and Clarkstown police.

Lane said he kept communicating with the person looking to sell the atlas. Police said the e-mail address sent to Lane during the negotiations contained the name "Rebecca Streeter."

When Streeter-Chen showed up at the store, instead of consummating the sale of the book, she came face to face with Detective Sgt. Bernard Cummings and Detective Bob Shine of the Clarkstown police, as well as officers with the Philadelphia Police Department.

The Clarkstown officers took the book and let her go when she agreed to surrender the following week in Clarkstown. Police said they wanted to avoid the legal process of extraditing her from Pennsylvania.

Streeter-Chen worked full time for the Historical Society from the fall of 2004 until late 2006.

During the same period, Streeter-Chen also worked for the Trent House museum in Trenton, N.J. She was working for Trent House at the time of her arrest.

http://www.nyjournalnews.com