A Chinese woman was indicted by a judge in Paris for allegedly stealing nearly $2 million worth of gold nuggets from the city’s National Museum of Natural History, including items dating back to the California gold rush.
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday that the 24-year-old suspect was charged with organized theft and criminal conspiracy following the Sept. 16 heist. She was arrested two weeks later in Barcelona, Spain, as she was preparing to return to China, it added.
Prosecutors said on the morning of Sept. 16, a museum curator was notified by a cleaning staff member of debris inside the facility and the disappearance of gold nuggets usually on display, which included an 11-pound nugget from Australia, items linked to the 19th century California gold rush and a nugget gifted by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia in 1833.
An investigation determined that two doors at the museum were cut open with a circular saw. In the mineralogy gallery, the display case containing the nuggets was broken into with a blowtorch, authorities said.
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At the site, investigators found a screwdriver, saws, the blowtorch and three gas canisters used to power the blowtorch, according to the prosecutor’s office.
It said surveillance footage revealed that a single person entered the museum by force around 1 a.m. on the morning of the heist.
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office estimated that the financial loss of the gold nuggets is around $1.74 million, while an additional $58,000 worth of damage was caused by the break-in. It also said the historical and scientific value of the gold pieces was priceless.
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At the time of her arrest in Barcelona, the suspect attempted to dispose of around 2 pounds of melted gold pieces, prosecutors added.
They said the investigation remains ongoing, as authorities are trying to figure out what happened to the stolen items and if there are any accomplices.
In France, the organized theft charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The suspect remains in custody while awaiting court proceedings.
