Venetian Jewel Heist Gentleman Thief Gives Expert View
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• The Guardian Saturday 17 November 2018 34 World following the robbery of €10m worth of jewels during an exhibition in Basel, Switzerland, in 2011. The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro,said that justice had been delivered “to those who thought they could commit a crime in Venice and get away with it”. Pipino, who spent 20 years in jail for 3,000 art thefts across Venice, believes the suspects had help from a collaborator within the palace, though the police have not said this. Pipino noted: “Unless the pieces are removed and sold separately, they are unsellable as they are.” He said he had had no intention of selling the painting he took from the Doge’s Palace. He was working on behalf of Felice Maniero, the boss of the Mala del Brenta organised crime group, who wanted it as a ransom for the release of his cousin from prison. The tactic worked: the painting was returned and his cousin set free within a couple of weeks. Pipino insisted that he only ever “robbed from the rich to give to the poor” or stole to get a favour, for example obtaining a coveted berth guard’s movements. At his chosen the vast palace, which attracts up to ▲ St Marks an 18th-century for his boat. “I gave everything moment he slipped out and walked 4,000 visitors a day, before seizing Square with the throne, and, back,” he said. “If I had just one Venetian across the Bridge of Sighs, which the right moment. Two of the Doge’s Palace. bottom, a percent of what I stole over my connects the prison to the palace . suspects were picked up on CCTV. Among the jewelled parrot. career I would be rich … but if I had From there, he entered the Last week, 11 months after treasures are, Below, Vincenzo one percent of what I donated to the jewel heist Consoli room, took a highly valuable the daring theft, there was a left, a 1930s Pipino poor, I would be even richer.” Madonna col Bambino (Madonna breakthrough when fi ve people turban jewel and MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: Looked upon with respect in with Child), painted in the early were arrested in Croatia . In a a gold tiger from SENG CHYE TEO/GETTY Venice, Pipino earned his reputation 1500s, covered it with a blanket and further extraordinary twist, one as Italy’s most trusted thief for the Gentleman sauntered out of a side door. of the suspects briefl y escaped non-violent way in which he carried The theft in January of €2m custody, reportedly by climbing out out his trade. He also never left a (£1.7m) worth of jewellery owned of a bathroom window at a police mess in people’s homes. Some of his thief gives by a member of Qatar’s royal family station . He was intercepted trying to targets even saw a visit by Pipino as a on the fi nal day of an exhibition of cross into Serbia. compliment to their good taste. Mughal and Maharaja treasures bore Another suspect is said to be Pipino, who grew up in poverty, all the hallmarks of the Pipino heist – part of the Pink Panthers, an said the narrow alleyways of Venice expert view slick , peaceable, and successful. international network of jewel became his “teacher” after he was “When I did my robbery, there thieves. Investigators had been expelled from school for fi ghting was only one security guard,” on the hunt for the same suspect with the son of a pharmacist who Pipino, 75, told the Guardian this refused to give him the core of his week. “Security has improved a lot applepp to eat. Angela Giuff rida since then … but something was In a book byyj the journalist Stefano Rome amiss. Possibly there were cracks in Lorenzetto about notable Venetians, the alarm system .” PPipinoippgpino described beinbeing g pplacedlaced in a ntil January, only January’s thieves managed to psychiatricpy ward before being g sent one other person deactivate the alarm s, break into a to work in a mortuarmortuary.yyg. He bebegangan had successfully reinforced case in the Chamber of stealinggg aged eight, g , taking g pastries pulled off a burglary the Scrutinio – an immense room on wwhilehile worworkingking at a bbakeryakery . U at the Doge’s Palace the second fl oor –steal some earrings Nowadays Pipino, who over in Venice, the seat of and a brooch, and melt into a crowd the years has also been accused of power during the city’s centuries of tourists. Police in Venice were so credit card fraud and drug dealing, as an independent republic and a perplexed they were forced to call in something he denied, strives to museum since 1923. experts from Rome . deter young people from following In 1991, Vincenzo Pipino, Vito Gagliardi, the chief police in his footsteps. He also off ers nicknamed the “gentleman thief” commissioner, said at the time that consultations for wealthy people for the polite way in which he the reinforced case, which was on how to secure their homes. “I’ll pursued his criminal exploits, spent provided by the exhibition’s Qatari go along and look at the windows – most of a night hidden in a cell in curators, had been opened “as if it they tell me ‘this in an anti-intrusion the New Prison building next door, was a tin can”. Offi cers suspected window’ and I say, ‘no it isn’t, I can carefully calculating a security that the thieves had reconnoitred open it within seconds.’” but that looked unlikely after he lost White House to demand the immedi- Israel head ing for early election as support from Bennett’s Jewish Home Judge orders return ate return of Acosta’s press credentials party , which has the ability to force of CNN reporter’s after the pass was revoked last week Netanyahu coalition faces collapse a new election. Netanyahu’s coali- following a high-profi le press confer- tion has 61 seats in the 120-member White House pass ence standoff with Donald Trump . Knesset, so the withdrawal of Jewish The cable news organisation’s law- the defence ministry post in the right- Home, which has eight seats, could suit against Trump and several of his Oliver Holmes wing government, but the meeting bring down the government if a no- senior aides marked a major escala- ended with a decision to move for- confi dence motion is called. Ben Jacobs Washington tion in the crisis of relations between ward national polls that had been due Another party could be brought into Agencies Trump and what he calls “fake news” Israel is due to hold elections early in November 2019. the coalition, but opposition fi gures and the “enemy of the people”. next year after the prime minister, A source close to Bennett said it had have already declared their intention A federal judge yesterday restored the Kelly warned CNN that the battle Benjamin Netanyahu, lost his defence become clear that “there was a need to run against Netanyahu . White House press access of the CNN was not over. “I want to emphasise minister and talks broke down in his to go to elections as soon as possible, Government fi gures would agree reporter Jim Acosta , dealing a blow to the very limited nature of today’s rul- coalition government yesterday, a with no possibility of continuing the on a date tomorrow, the source added. the Trump administration. ing,” he said . “This doesn’t end the source close to the cabinet has said. current government ”. Israeli law demands that election cam- Acosta’s White House “hard pass” legal battle over Acosta’s access to the Netanyahu had met the education Netanyahu’s offi ce said he would paigns be held 90 days from when the must be returned immediately , Judge White House, it simply means that it minister, Naftali Bennett , who wanted attempt to preserve the administration, government is dissolved. Timothy Kelly said. CNN had sued the is restored for now.”.