Antiques and historic items stolen from William Penn's country estate in Bucks County have been recovered at the bottom of the Delaware River, and three Croydon men have been arrested, law-enforcement officials announced yesterday.
The three suspects, who were caught two weeks ago fleeing the site of another burglary, will be prosecuted under a federal law Congress enacted in 1994 known as the Theft of Major Artwork law. The suspects could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
U.S. Attorney Michael Stiles said the case was the first in the nation to be prosecuted under the new law, which levies harsher penalties than state laws do.
Arrested were Charles Cline, 36; David Dancheck, 27; and David Wisen, 28. Cline and Wisen were in custody in Bucks County Prison; Dancheck was expected to surrender today, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Goldman. All three are scheduled to be arraigned today.
The burglary was committed the night of Feb. 6 at Pennsbury Manor, Penn's 43-acre country estate in Falls Township. The mansion, now a museum and a main tourist attraction owned by the state of Pennsylvania, is a reconstruction of Penn's country house, built on the original foundation.
Authorities said the burglars stole about 50 antiques and reproductions, primarily from the dining area. Thirty-eight of the 50 items have been recovered, officials said at a news conference yesterday at FBI offices in Philadelphia attended by state police, the Philadelphia Police Department's Marine Unit, the Falls Township and Lower Moreland Police Departments and members of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which oversees the estate.
Among the most valuable items recovered was a 17th-century pewter serving tray belonging to Penn and bearing the initials ``WPG,'' which stand for William Penn and Gulielma, Penn's first wife.
A brass lantern clock dating to 1730 also was recovered but was rusted and was missing its long, graceful pendulum.
Law enforcement officials said the items were thrown into the Delaware about 10 days after the burglary. They were dumped at two river sites, one near the foot of the Burlington Bristol Bridge and the other near the U.S. Coast Guard Exchange near Allegheny and Delaware Avenues. They were recovered in water more than 20 feet deep by divers from the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bristol Fire Company Dive Rescue Team, who began retrieving them Saturday and continued searching yesterday.
