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Proposed light sentence on vicious US theft stealing terracotta warrior’s finger triggers anger among Chinese
Published on: 2023-04-10
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The news that a US thief admitted to snapping off and stealing a Chinese terracotta warrior's thumb but may be handed a lenient sentence has trended on Chinese social media on Friday and triggered the outcry of many netizens who called for a due, more severe punishment on the perpetrator who damaged the "precious heritage of humanity."
 

The man, Michael Rohana, snuck into a closed-off section of the Franklin Institute in the US city of Philadelphia, and swiped a finger of a terracotta warrior on loan to the museum from China in 2017. Latest court document revealed that the man is expected to plead guilty later this month to a lesser felony charge of "trafficking archaeological resources." His plea deal offers a lighter maximum sentence, which is a fine of $20,000 and two years in prison. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 17, according to a report by the Washington Post on Thursday.
 

Rohana was initially charged in 2018 with the theft and concealment of an object of cultural heritage from a museum and interstate transportation of stolen property, offenses that carry a total maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, according to the report.
 

The reported lesser charge has provoked the anger of many Chinese netizens who slammed at potential penalty as too light.
 

"The terracotta warriors are a priceless world heritage not only for Chinese but also for all humanity. How could the US institute allow a visitor get so close that can be able to touch the cultural relics? They need stricter protection measures," one netizen commented on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo.
 

"This malicious behavior has made us lose trust in the US loan exhibition," another netizen wrote on Weibo.
 

Media reported that a total of seven terracotta warriors were part of the loan to the Franklin Institute, each insured for $4.5 million. Chinese experts have testified that the cavalryman statue that was swiped dated back to the 3rd century BC for the first Chinese emperor, Qinshihuang. The Terracotta Warriors discovered at the tomb are known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World," and have become a symbol of Chinese culture abroad.
 

The owner of the exhibits, Shaanxi Cultural Relics Exchange Center, also known as Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, issued a statement, noting that such a vicious incident had never occurred in the more than 260 exhibitions overseas in the past four decades. The center stated that it would further initiate an investigation focusing on civil liability according to law, and make economic claims in accordance with the exhibition agreement, demanding that the US party severely punish the perpetrators, CCTV reported.
 

承认掰断并偷走兵马俑手指,美国男子或被轻判

4月5日,“美国男子承认掰断并偷走兵马俑手指”引发关注和热议,登上微博热搜。
 

据《华盛顿邮报》《纽约邮报》等媒体报道,涉嫌掰断并偷走兵马俑拇指的美国男子迈克尔•罗哈纳现已认罪,目前检方已放弃对其重判的请求。
 

2017年12月21日晚,当时24岁的迈克尔•罗哈纳在参加聚会时偷偷溜进了富兰克林研究所的一个封闭区域,看到了博物馆正在展出的来自中国的兵马俑。
 

根据证词,罗哈纳用手机当手电筒,并靠近了其中一个兵马俑仔细研究。调查人员说,他与兵马俑自拍了一张,然后悄悄从兵马俑的左手上折断了一根拇指放口袋里,然后离开并回家。
 

次年1月8日,博物馆工作人员发现这尊兵俑缺少了左手拇指。一周后,罗哈纳承认偷了拇指,并在联邦调查局探员审问他时将其上交。
 

费城市政府称这起盗窃事件令人尴尬,并在2018年3月为这一事件道歉。而针对罗哈纳的案件,因陪审团意见不统一和新冠疫情拖延了数年。
 

罗哈纳最初于2018年被指控盗窃和藏匿博物馆文物,以及跨州运输被盗财产,这些罪行最高可判处30年监禁。
 

根据上周提交的法庭文件,罗哈纳将在本月承认州际贩运罪名,这项罪名最高可判处两年监禁并处罚金2万美元。美国联邦法院预计将于4月17日对该案作出判决。由于罗哈纳与检方达成认罪协议,检方撤销了刑期高达30年的“盗窃和藏匿博物馆文物”指控。

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