First Edition Book of Mormon Recovered in Virginia

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RareBook Reported Stolen in Mesa, Arizona
WASHINGTON—The FBI today announced therecovery of a rare first edition of the Book of Mormon believed to be stolenfrom a downtown Mesa, Arizona bookstore over Memorial Day weekend.
The FBI assisted in the recovery of theBook of Mormon at the request of the Mesa Police Department through the FBI’sArt Theft Program.
Jay Michael Linford, 48, of Gilbert,Arizona, was located and arrested on June 12, 2012 at the apartment of anacquaintance in Herndon, Virginia where he was staying as a guest. A searchwarrant of this location recovered the stolen book, pictured below:
Linford is currently in custody andawaiting extradition to Arizona, where he faces charges of theft andtrafficking in stolen property.
In addition to the Mesa PoliceDepartment, this investigation was conducted in partnership with the Herndon,Virginia Police Department; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and BorderPatrol; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team, formed in 2004and coordinated through the Art Theft Program, is a rapid deployment teamconsisting of 14 FBI special agents assigned to various field officesthroughout the United States, to include the Washington Field Office. To date,the Art Crime Team has recovered more than 2,650 items valued at over $150million.