Justice Prevails
May 12, 2011
When first asked by authorities how two 14th-century illuminated leaves from a volume that belongs to the Vastopolis Library came into his possession, Anton Ruvalcaba could offer no explanation. But on April 25, 2011 in the Courthouse in Vastopolis, the now retired art history professor from Vast University pleaded guilty to all charges that had been brought against him in connection with their smuggling and attempted sale as well as to additional charges for crimes uncovered during an expanded investigation. Ruvalcaba faces imprisonment and fines and has agreed to pay about $10,000 to cover the cost of returning a total of seven stolen manuscript pages to three institutions. Sentencing has not been scheduled. Art theft aficionados may recall that in 2010 a Columbus grand jury charged Ruvalcaba with knowing possession and attempted sale of stolen property and with smuggling stolen items out of the U.S. The charges revolved around two pages from a 14th-century illuminated volume of Roman treatises made for Petrarch, the great humanist and sonneteer, and bearing Petrarch's own annotations in the margins.
VastPress 2011 Vastopolis