THEFT of La Scalas

[twistedcrankcammer]

4 months later? these could be anywhere by now..

 

 

Yes, the present possessor may very well not be aware they are stolen, but it is still worth a shot! 

 

Washington is way to far away for me to have any kind of a real shot, but I would still like to catch the POS!!

 

Roger

[Schu]

Serial numbers and proof of ownership would help... Flanger sound

[moray james]

Is there an echo in here??????

no it's a STEREO pair.

[Woofers and Tweeters]

 

Is there an echo in here??????

no it's a STEREO pair.

 

I wrote my response minutes after the OP's post, but must not have sent it. Looked at my phone later and hit send.... 

[Woofers and Tweeters]

4 months later? these could be anywhere by now..

Real detective work there Thad 

[Thaddeus Smith]

 

4 months later? these could be anywhere by now..

Real detective work there Thad 

 

 

[jjptkd]

Tacoma?? Never stop for anything in Tacoma, just keep on driving through, safer that way!

[Arrow#422]

Sent 04 January 2016 - 03:50 PM

Aren't you now in Massachusetts?

Why would you think that the missing items have remained within the confines of Washington state?

 

The forum is always actively seeking acquisitions so its members tend to share items found on various for sale sites.

Any information that you could provide would be of benefit, but because the serial numbers are item specific, those would allow for a positive identification if they ever popped up.

 

Help us, help you - or wright them off I guess.

[nitrofan]

If the thief has any brains he'll keep then and use them for himself

[nitrofan]

If the thief has any brains he'll keep then and use them for himself

[nitrofan]

If the thief has any brains he'll keep then and use them for himself

[Woofers and Tweeters]

Is there an echo in here??????

Now I hear it 

[DizRotus]

In Michigan, as in most states, one cannot take ownership of stolen property. If the rightful owner can prove the property was stolen (serial numbers and a bill of sale would be a good start), the possessor of the stolen property would lose out to the rightful owner. The possessor's recourse would be against the "seller" of the property to him/her.1

For example, The OP's household goods were lost when a moving van was stolen.2  Should the La Scalas, or anything else that was stolen, surface on Craigslist, eBay, pawn shop, etc., the OP could contact the seller to assert a claim to rightful ownership.3  Failing that, the OP could contact the local police in the jurisdiction where the property surfaced.4

The sad reality is the likelihood of retrieving the stolen items is extremely low, although not impossible. The stolen van could be recovered and the items returned after they were no longer needed as part of a criminal investigation. Another scenario could have the OP provide the serial numbers to the forum which would allow an honest forum member5 to gleefully return them to the OP. The forum member would then naively contact the "seller" from Craigslist, eBay, pawn shop, etc. to request a refund.6 That process could, theoretically, be repeated back up the chain of "sellers" until the thief was reached.

To avoid the above, people buy insurance. Insurance companies pay claims and are then subrogated to the insureds' rights of ownership. Insurance companies have the resources, experience and financial motivation to pursue stolen goods, but they recover very little. The occasional Bentley or priceless unique work of art, but not too many speakers, are recovered.

Television and film perpetuate the misconception that possession of stolen property is a crime; it is not. Receiving and concealing property that is known to be stolen is a crime. Innocently buying items that turn out to be stolen is not a crime. Buying something that you know was stolen, or that a reasonable person would infer to be stolen, is a crime. In the "white van" scam it is implied the items are stolen which plays on the mark's greed who assumes the "stolen" junk is worth more than the asking price.

To protect themselves and, again theoretically, to protect society, Pawn Shops are required to get identification from the pawner/seller.7 That way, the police can track recovered stolen goods to the person who sold to the pawn shop. The diligence with which this is done varies from low to none at all. The theory behind the law is that subsequent possessors of stolen property are in a better position to know with whom they are dealing and to investigate the legality of the sale than is the victim of the theft to prevent the theft. As between the innocent victims of the theft and the subsequent sale, the law favors the true owner.

The morals of the story are as follows:

• Record serial numbers and take photos;
• When buying used goods always get identification so that you have the possibility of recourse if it turns out you unknowingly purchased stolen goods; and
• prepare yourself for the moral dilemma of learning that you have OP's stolen La Scalas with no way to get back the $$$$ you paid to the seller,

Footnotes:
1. In legal theory, the reality is the OP is SOL (that's legal jargon).
2. That was probably not done by an individual you can find and beat up. Most likely it was done by relatively sophisticated criminal professionals with whom you want no contact.
3. Good luck with that.
4. Good luck with that.
5. Hopefully redundant
6. Good luck with that.
7. A Pawn Stars episode had a customer trying to sell a Soviet era Moscow policeman's cap that he admitted stealing from an open window of a sleeping officer's patrol car. Corey wanted the hat but could not buy it because the customer admitted it was stolen.

Edited January 17, 2016 by DizRotus

[Youthman]

If the thief has any brains he'll keep then and use them for himself

If the thief have brains he would not be stealing in the first place

[DizRotus]

One and done.

It's interesting how often someone seeks advice from this forum and never again posts. Perhaps we need to change toothpastes or improve our hygiene. Our collective wisdom is always spot on, so one would think at least a single reply would be forthcoming.

Edited January 17, 2016 by DizRotus

[Ceptorman]

One and done.

It's interesting how often someone seeks advice from this forum and never again posts. Perhaps we need to change toothpastes or improve our hygiene. Our collective wisdom is always spot on, so one would think at least a single reply would be forthcoming.

I've often thought this as well. At least a "thanks" would suffice. It's amazing looking at the members list, and seeing how many start a profile and never post. I guess that's better than some that become a member just to sell something.

[Arrow#422]

 

One and done.

It's interesting how often someone seeks advice from this forum and never again posts. Perhaps we need to change toothpastes or improve our hygiene. Our collective wisdom is always spot on, so one would think at least a single reply would be forthcoming.

I've often thought this as well. At least a "thanks" would suffice. It's amazing looking at the members list, and seeing how many start a profile and never post. I guess that's better than some that become a member just to sell something.

 

….that they "found" cruising the alerts section BEFORE joining.  

 

Note:  There were quite a few Lascalas on CL about 2 weeks back, and even some in the black dress OP mentioned.  PM's to OP were unanswered.  Due to the "one & done", and no serial numbers, I see no reason to assist further - (add) with this incident. 

Edited January 17, 2016 by Arrow#422

[Ceptorman]

 

 

One and done.

It's interesting how often someone seeks advice from this forum and never again posts. Perhaps we need to change toothpastes or improve our hygiene. Our collective wisdom is always spot on, so one would think at least a single reply would be forthcoming.

I've often thought this as well. At least a "thanks" would suffice. It's amazing looking at the members list, and seeing how many start a profile and never post. I guess that's better than some that become a member just to sell something.

 

….that they "found" cruising the alerts section BEFORE joining.  

 

Note:  There were quite a few Lascalas on CL about 2 weeks back, and even some in the black dress OP mentioned.  PM's to OP were unanswered.  Due to the "one & done", and no serial numbers, I see no reason to assist further.  

 

Makes one wonder doesn't it. You did your job.

[Woofers and Tweeters]

After being let down, it's easy to see why anyone would be reluctant to help, especially someone on their first post. However, I am willing to bet that most of the regular members on this forum won't change their ethics or character because of one and dones.  

[WMcD]

Insurance is a good idea. But watch out for the deductible (or a similar concept with another name). In one situation I came across, the deductible for personal property was a few percent of the value of the house. Edit: This was a home owner's policy.

This may sound unfair but the insurance companies don't want to get involved with low value claims. Even a luxury watch (much less a couple of LS) may well be within the deductible.

OTOH, if you want to insure personal property for full value (that Krell or Rolex) I'm sure your insurance agent can find you a policy. But it is going to cost.

The situation described is not very clear. The moving truck was stolen. Was there a moving company? I'd think they are obligated to pay something. The ICC probably regulates this.

WMcD

Edited January 17, 2016 by WMcD