$ 216k Theft: California man accused the UCLA library of stealing rare Chinese texts; Used surnames, returned fake

According to AFP report AFP report, the California library user has been charged for stealing rare Chinese manuscripts worth $ 216,000, announced on Thursday by US officials. Recognized as a 38 -year -old Jeffrey Ying, the suspect allegedly used several surnames to reach centuries -old works, some of them dating at the University of California, Los Angeles Library for more than 600 years, then returned forged copies to their place. He is a resident of Frament, Bay Area. The Department of Justice said, “The library noticed that many rare Chinese manuscripts were missing, and a preliminary investigation revealed that the books were last seen by a visitor who recognized themselves as ‘Allen Fujimori’,” the Department of Justice said, AFP said.“Law enforcement also found pre-made labels, known as asset tags associated with the same manuscripts, which can be used to make ‘dummy’ books to return to the library in place of original books.”When the detectives discovered the Los Angeles-Area Hotel, where Ying was living, they discovered the empty manuscripts similar to the rare books borrowed by themselves, according to charging documents. Officials said Ying would often travel to China after examining the material from the library. Ying was found in the possession of several library cards issued under various names. If the major artwork is found guilty of theft, Ying, who is currently in state custody, can face up to 10 years in the federal prison.Rare and one type of work in libraries are usually restricted to watch on-site and are not allowed to check like standard paperback.One of the fastest growing art markets in China is, run by more state -run museums and a fruiting private sector.