[MSN] Civil War-era docs stolen, sold on eBay; Philly man charged. Denning McTague nabbed them from National Archives, prosecutors say.

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Civil War-era docs stolen, sold on eBay; Philly man charged.
Denning McTague nabbed them from National Archives, prosecutors say  By
Gregg Keizer

March 16, 2007 (Computerworld) -- A Philadelphia man stole 165 Civil
War-era historical documents from the National Archives last year and sold
them on eBay, federal prosecutors charged yesterday.

Denning McTague, 40, worked as a summer intern for the archives in 2006
and smuggled the documents -- including an 1865 order from the War
Department announcing the death of President Lincoln to the troops and a
letter from J.E.B. Stuart, the Confederate cavalry commander -- off the
premises in a backpack.

"These are pieces of American history to be preserved, not sold to the
highest bidder," U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan said in a statement.

McTague sold the documents on eBay, where he enjoyed an excellent seller's
reputation. According to eBay, McTague's feedback score of 364 was 100%
positive. In other words, buyers had no complaints about his service or
the items he sold.

As an intern, McTague's responsibilities included arranging and organizing
documents for the Civil War 2011-2015 sesquicentennial. Most of the
documents he handled dealt with the ordering and sending of supplies and
materials for the troops and munitions makers.

Such pilfering is very rare, said Susan Cooper, a spokeswoman for the
National Archives in Washington D.C. Cooper would not put a price on the
stolen documents. "Since we never sell our documents, and since they all
unique, they are all extremely valuable."

McTague's Web site touts him as a dealer of antique books, maps and
manuscripts. The site remains online, but no items are currently posted
for sale.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, McTague intends to plead guilty to
one count of theft of government property. Federal sentencing guidelines
indicate that he will likely face a year in prison.

The paper also reported that he helped the FBI and archive officials
recover 161 of the 165 stolen documents. McTague was caught after a
legitimate dealer found some of the pinched documents on eBay, and
contacted the archives, said Cooper.

The charges filed against McTague are available from the U.S. Attorney's
Web site :

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
v.
DENNING McTAGUE
:
:
:
CRIMINAL NO. _____________
DATE FILED: ________________
VIOLATION:
18 U.S.C. § 641 (theft of government
property - 1 count)
INFORMATION
COUNT ONE
THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY CHARGES THAT:
At all times material to this information:
1. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) was an
agency of the United States that safeguarded and preserved the records of
our government,
assuring that people could discover, use, and learn from this documentary
heritage. The NARA
carried out this mission through a nationwide network of archives, records
centers, Presidential
libraries, and on the Internet. The National Archives - Mid Atlantic
Regional Program served the geographic areas of Pennsylvania, Delaware,
West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia. The
Philadelphia Archives facility was located at 900 Market Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2. Defendant DENNING McTAGUE is an avid and educated cultural and
historical artifacts collector, having obtained a Masters degree in
History and a Master of Science in Information Systems with a
concentration in archives.
3. Defendant DENNING McTAGUE was the owner and operator of Denning
House, a business formerly located in New York and then located in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
which described itself on its website as a “Purveyor of: Rare and Unusual
Books, Maps,
Manuscripts, Interesting Paper and Americana.”
4. Through a university, defendant DENNING McTAGUE obtained an
unpaid internship with the NARA Philadelphia Archives facility.
5. As an intern at the NARA Philadelphia Archives facility, defendant
DENNING McTAGUE was responsible for arranging and organizing documents in
a specific
section of the archives in preparation for the upcoming Sesquicentennial,
150 anniversary, of th
the American Civil War which begins in 2011. The grouping assigned to
defendant McTAGUE
included the Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance Administrative
History and Letters,
Telegrams and Endorsements Received between 1816 and 1907. Many of these
documents
related to the ordering and sending of supplies, ordering of materials for
arsenal construction,
ordering of goods for munitions manufacturing, and other administrative
matters of the Army.
6. From in or about June 20, 2006 through on or about August 16, 2006, in
Philadelphia, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, defendant
DENNING McTAGUE
stole, purloined, and knowingly converted to his own use, things of value
of the United States
and of the NARA, in an amount over $1,000, that is, approximately 165
Civil War era
documents, of which 161 have been recovered, including orders, letters and
telegrams relating to supplying guns, gun powder and swords to the troops,
an Order from the War Department
announcing the death of President Abraham Lincoln to the troops and a
letter from J.E.B. Stuart, a famous calvary man of the Civil War, which
documents had come into the possession and under the care of defendant
DENNING McTAGUE by virtue of his internship at the NARA
Philadelphia Archives facility. Defendant McTAGUE then placed most of the
items for sale on
eBay on the internet.
In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.
___________________________________
PATRICK L. MEEHAN
United States Attorney