Adolf Hitler’s stolen gold bookmarks recovered [photos]

Image via Wikipedia

A gold bookmark once belonging to Adolf Hitler, which was stolen in 2002 from a Spanish auction house was recovered by ICE.

SEATTLE – A Romanian national who attempted to sell an 18-carat gold bookmark that reportedly belonged to Adolf Hitler, will make his initial appearance in federal court at 1:30 this afternoon charged with sale or receipt of stolen goods.

Christian Popescu, 37, of Kenmore, Wash., was arrested by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outside a Bellevue, Wash., Starbucks Coffee yesterday, after setting up a clandestine meeting to negotiate the sale of the stolen bookmark, which allegedly had been given to Hitler as a gift by his longtime mistress, Eva Braun, in 1943.

Considered an historical artifact, the bookmark was set to be auctioned in October 2002, by a Madrid, Spain auction house when it was stolen by three eastern European thieves, along with several pieces of jewelry. The bookmark is believed to have previously belonged to the family of Wilhelm Keitel, an armed forces chief under Hitler, who was executed following the Nuremberg trials.

While most of the other items stolen in the robbery have been recovered, this is the first time in six years that the bookmark has surfaced. It is believed Braun gave Hitler the bookmark as consolation for his army’s defeat in the battle of Stalingrad, as it is inscribed in part with the following words from Braun: “My Adolf, don’t worry…(the defeat)… was only an inconvenience that will not break your certainty of victory.”

According to the criminal complaint filed in connection with the case, ICE agents received a tip this past summer that someone was interested in selling the bookmark. During his attempt to sell the item, Popescu acknowledged that the bookmark was stolen in Spain and agreed to a $100,000 price.

A conviction for sale or receipt of stolen goods is punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Read the full story >>> [ Source ]

Gold bookmark photos:

Photos given by:

Lorie Dankers
Public Affairs & Spokeswoman
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington
(O) 206.553.0353
(C) 206.793.8755
(F) 206.553.0493
lorie.dankers@dhs.gov

My favorite astronomy pics [photos]

What an incredible world out there!  Here are my favorites from ‘astronomy picture of the day’:

 

From http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081102.html

*****

From http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081103.html

*****

From http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081116.html

*****

From http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081118.html

Gruesome destiny of an insect in a venus fly trap [video]

Image by Terry Bain via Flickr

This video shows the gruesome destiny of an insect caught in a venus fly trap.  The home site is beautifully done.  If you love wildlife, or are interested in threatened species, you’ll want to visit Arkive: Images of Life on Earth.

[ Link ]

TripleMe – A new search engine

There’s a new search engine on the block: TripleMe.  The search results are generated using computer technology for crawling and processing information from major search engines.  It even removes duplicate links.  Give it a try.