A silver steward at the French presidential palace is facing charges of stealing “heritage property” after about a hundred precious silverware and tableware items went missing and were discovered in his locker, car and home, French prosecutors say.
The objects that disappeared from the Élysée Palace collection — including copper pots, Sèvres porcelain, a René Lalique figurine and Baccarat Champagne glasses — were returned after the investigation, according to the prosecutors.
The disclosure comes after a series of crimes that have rattled the French, including the Louvre heist in October and a theft at the Museum of Natural History in Paris in September.
The thefts from the presidential palace were neither a brazen daylight robbery, as at the museum, nor a stealthy overnight burglary, but an inside job, prosecutors say.
They were discovered after one of the stewards at the Élysée reported the disappearance of items with an estimated value of between 15,000 and 40,000 euros (about $17,000 to $47,000), a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office told The New York Times in response to an inquiry on Sunday.
Officials at the Sèvres manufactory, France’s state-owned porcelain factory, then spotted some of their unique items being auctioned online, including a plate with an Air Force stamp and ashtrays that are not available to the general public.
After interviews with members of the palace staff, prosecutors said, suspicion fell on one of the “argentiers,” or silver stewards, whose job is to care for the palace tables’ finery.
The steward had been overseeing “decreasing inventories,” according to prosecutors, and was in a relationship with the manager of an online auction company that is well known for selling tableware, with the two apparently sharing a home where some of the missing objects were found. They were arrested on Tuesday and appeared in court on Thursday. Another suspect, accused of being a fence, or the recipient of stolen goods, has also been charged.
A trial has been set for late February on charges of the theft of movable heritage property, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and 150,000 euros in fines, or about $175,000, and aggravated receipt of stolen property, which has a potential penalty of seven years in prison and 150,000 euros in fines.
The suspects were placed on supervised release pending trial and, in the meantime, are prohibited from going to their jobs and using auction sites, among other restrictions, prosecutors said.
According to the Élysée, argentiers are unique to the palace. They are responsible for the upkeep of all the silverware, tableware and crystal; set the tables; and wash the pieces by hand after the meal to preserve them. Many of the items are more than a century old. The palace website notes that the United Nations has recognized the French art of dining as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
There are job openings for Élysée argentiers available now.
Ephrat Livni is a Times reporter covering breaking news around the world. She is based in Washington.
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