The Ghost of Convictions Past: How Familiar Faces Almost Got Away With a Louvre Heist

There's something uniquely audacious, isn't there, about attempting to pilfer a masterpiece from one of the world's most hallowed art institutions? And yet, that's precisely what happened at Paris's venerable Louvre Museum, where a precious drawing by Edgar Degas, "Les Choristes," or "The Chorus Singers" as you might know it, vanished into thin air. Well, not quite thin air, as it turned out. This wasn't some elaborate Oceans' Eleven scenario, though the unfolding details certainly had their own intriguing twists.

The theft, which occurred rather quietly on January 30th, involved a work valued at a cool 800,000 euros. Not small change, by any measure. The initial mystery was quickly followed by diligent police work, culminating in the arrest of two main suspects on March 3rd. French authorities, honestly, moved with impressive speed, and the two men, aged 29 and 52, were promptly charged with organized theft. But here's the kicker, the bit that makes you pause and think: the stolen Degas drawing? It was found, safe and sound, right there in their vehicle.

But the story doesn't end with a simple recovery. Oh no, not at all. Because what emerged next, as Paris prosecutor Francois Molins revealed, adds a layer of almost poetic irony to the whole affair. You see, these two particular individuals weren't strangers to the judicial system. Far from it. Both men, identified through those ever-present CCTV cameras, were already well-acquainted with the police. They each had a rap sheet, a collection of prior convictions for theft and, shall we say, "related" crimes. In truth, one might even call them seasoned. And here's the real clincher: they had actually been convicted together, as a pair, for a prior theft back in 2011.

Imagine that. A joint conviction, a shared stint in prison — the younger man released in 2014, his older accomplice a year later in 2015 — and then, years later, they resurface, allegedly, side-by-side, attempting to make off with a Degas. It almost feels like a plot from a classic caper novel, doesn't it? Old habits, it seems, truly do die hard. A third individual, also 29, was subsequently arrested and charged with handling stolen goods, though he maintained his innocence, claiming no involvement in the actual theft itself. You hear these things, and you just wonder.

The Louvre, let's remember, is more commonly a target for pickpockets and petty thieves, a bustling hub where tourists often find themselves relieved of wallets rather than priceless art. An actual art theft from its hallowed halls? That's genuinely rare. The museum, it’s worth noting, was closed to the public at the time of the incident, open only for staff and a handful of special visitors. One might even argue it was a bold move, or perhaps, a tragically predictable one given the history of the suspects. In the end, the stolen Degas drawing was returned to its rightful home at the Orsay Museum, from where it had been on loan, closing this chapter with a recovered masterpiece and a stark reminder that some partnerships, criminal or otherwise, run deeper than others.