Munch Thieves Draw Longer Sentences
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The Norwegian Supreme Court on Friday increased the sentences of two men convicted of stealing two masterworks by Edvard Munch, âThe Screamâ and âMadonna,â right, and ordered a new trial for a third convicted man, The Associated Press reported. The paintings were stolen in August 2004 in a daylight raid on the Munch Museum in Oslo. They were recovered by police nearly two years later, and are undergoing repairs for scrapes, punctures, loose paint and moisture damage. Last month the three men appealed their 2006 sentences. In answer, Norwayâs highest court unanimously ruled that the prison terms for two of the men, Petter Tharaldsen and Stian Skjold, were not long enough, considering the âirreplaceable national cultural valueâ of the paintings. The court increased Mr. Tharaldsenâs sentence by one year, to 10 Â½ years, and Mr. Skjoldâs sentence by six months, to six years. The court did reject the conviction of a third man, Bjoern Hoen, saying that testimony in his trial may have been tainted, and sent his case back for a new trial.
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When two men in balaclavas lifted Edvard Munch&#39;s The Scream from the wall of an Oslo art gallery, they humiliated its custodians.
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Art thieves seem to be unable to keep their hands off Edvard Munch&#39;s iconic masterpiece, The Scream, despite the fact that it&#39;s one of the world&#39;s most recognizable paintings.
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Officials from the Munch Museum begged the thieves who stole "The Scream" and "Madonna" on Sunday to show great care for the paintings.
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Norwegian police are conducting a nationwide hunt for the armed thieves who Sunday made off with Edward Munch&#39;s masterpiece The Scream and another painting, Madonna.
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The Munch Museum in Oslo, where thieves stole The Scream last month, is to upgrade its security in the wake of the raid.
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Thieves stormed into an Oslo art museum and stole Edvard Munch&#39;s famous paintings &quot;The Scream&#39;&#39; and &quot;Madonna.
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Two masterpieces by Edvard Munch, which were stolen two years ago, are about to go on public exhibition.
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OSLO, Norway  - Armed, masked thieves burst into a lightly guarded Oslo museum Sunday and snatched the Edvard Munch masterpiece The Scream and a second Munch painting from the walls as stunned visitors watched in shock.
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In many instances, stolen art masterpieces are recovered almost out of the blue, long after investigators have stopped actively pursuing leads.
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The thieves might not have known much about art, but they apparently knew what they liked: cash.Comment
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Art theft may conjure up images of a suave movie villain creeping through a dark gallery &#151; or last year's bold daylight robbery of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" from a Norway museum. Most art heists, however, are far more subtle, involving forged documents, fake prints or smuggled cultural artifacts that slowly make their way into the hands of private owners or museums.
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Election-year tactics like making anonymous phone calls or inventing make-believe groups to criticize the opponent now come with a higher price: the possibility of time in jail.
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By Julian Isherwood, Scandinavia Correspondent, and Will Bennett, Art Sales Correspondent. Lax security and a series of mishaps are being blamed for the theft of two paintings by Edvard Munch from a Norwegian art gallery on Sunday.
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AUSTIN, Texas - You may not be able to fight city hall, but you can steal from it - at least for awhile.    John David Woods has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for stealing more than $100,000 from 24 city halls across Texas to pay off Internet gambling debts...
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Two masterpieces by Edvard Munch, which were stolen from an Oslo museum two years ago, are found.
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Norwegian police said Monday that they were working on several tips in their search for two Edvard Munch masterpieces, including a version of "The Scream," after a bold daytime theft from an Oslo museum in front of stunned visitors.