Map Dealer Admits Thefts

Smiley took 97 rare maps from a variety of libraries

By Andrew Albanese -- Library Journal, 08/15/2006

A humiliated, remorseful Edward Forbes Smiley III, busted last year by sharp-eyed Yale University librarians (see News, LJ 9/1/05), not only pleaded guilty June 23 to the theft of a rare map from Yale but admitted he had stolen 96 other rare maps from libraries and other institutions around the country and in the United Kingdom. The value of the thefts exceeds $3 million.

Thanks to investigative work by the FBI and local authorities, as well as the cooperation of those libraries victimized by Smiley, nearly all of the maps were recovered. U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor commended investigators “for scouring the globe at a great expense of time, effort, and financial resources in order to return these stolen maps to their rightful owners.”

He said the case should serve as a cautionary tale for librarians, suggesting that “security procedures in these institutions have been, and will continue to be, improved.” Smiley faces a maximum of ten years in prison and a fine of up to $1.6 million.

Since his arrest, Smiley has identified 97 maps that he stole from a number of universities and libraries in the United States and abroad between January 1998 and June 2005. Officials said that 86 of the items have been physically recovered by law enforcement, and six more are in the custody of individuals who have not returned them. Five maps are still missing.