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FBI Recovers Stolen First Edition Book of Mormon in Herndon

The rare edition of the Book of Mormon is believed to have been stolen from an Arizona bookstore.

 

The FBI announced Thursday that it has recovered a rare first-edition of the Book of Mormon in Herndon.

The book, recovered on Tuesday, is believed to have been stolen from a bookstore in Mesa, Ariz. during Memorial Day weekend, according to the FBI. The FBI assisted the Mesa Police Department in finding the book through the FBI's Art Theft Program. 

The book, first published in 1830, was reportedly stolen from the Rare and Out of Print Books and Art store in Mesa. Experts put its value at $40,000, although its owner, Helen Schlie, 88-year-old owner of the bookstore, said it was appraised at $100,000, according to the East Valley Tribune.

Investigators arrested Jay Michael Linford, 48, of Gilbert, Ariz. and Palmyra, N.Y., on Tuesday while he was at the apartment of an acquaintance in Herndon. He was staying there as a guest. The FBI had a search warrant for the apartment and found the stolen book. 

Linford is in custody at the Fairfax County Detention Facility on a $40,000 cash bond and awaiting extradition to Arizona. He faces charges of theft and trafficking stolen property. 

The Mesa Police Department, Herndon Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia all assisted in the case. 

The FBI formed its Art Crime Team in 2004 through the Art Theft Program. It is a rapid deployment team that includes 14 FBI special agents that are assigned to field offices throughout the United States, including in Washington, D.C. The Art Crime Team has recovered more than 2,650 items worth more than $150 million. 

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Related Topics: Book of Mormon, Fbi, first edition book of mormon, herndon crime, and herndon police department

Don Joy

9:06 am on Friday, June 15, 2012

Wow. Big doings here in Herndon.

Reply

Lisa Turner

1:38 am on Sunday, June 24, 2012

This is more of Thomas Smith's conversion testimony. Jesus we trust in You! By his finding an original book of Mormon that was ordered burned, he questioned why the tenants of his LDS faith changed from the original tenants. WHY? Was this truly His Church? He now had lots of questions and began his search for His truth.
http://whyimcatholic.com/index.php/conversion-stories/mormon-converts/item/76-mormon-convert-thomas-smith

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Lisa Turner

1:39 am on Sunday, June 24, 2012

Thomas Smith was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and can trace his lineage back seven generations. In this talk, he shares his beliefs and incredible experiences as a Mormon missionary in Alabama and how this led him to convert and become a Protestant minister and later enter the Catholic Church. Mr. Smith is a popular speaker and the author of "Inside Mormonism".
http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/from-mormon-missionary-to-the-catholic-faith

Reply

Lisa Turner

1:41 am on Sunday, June 24, 2012

This is a great website to understand the Mormon faith more fully.
www.4witness.org

Reply

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