Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Smiley Restitution Payment Upped

On Tuesday, confessed map thief E. Forbes Smiley was ordered to pay $2.3 million in restitution to the institutions he stole from and the dealers he sold to, the AP reports. That's up from the $1.9 million sum tentatively announced at Smiley's sentencing last September. Unfortunately, just because Smiley was ordered to pay doesn't mean he will - that will depend "on his ability to pay after he gets out of prison and the government's ability to sell his assets."

This restitution figure is based on the 96 maps recovered and four that are known to remain missing; it does not include those maps which Smiley is widely believed to have taken but not admitted.

The AP piece briefly summarizes the Smiley saga, noting that the dealer "offered little explanation for his motives, aside from selfishness. Prosecutors have said he acted out of resentment toward the prestigious libraries and to pay for his expensive tastes and mounting debts."