Federal agents have arrested a Kenmore man in connection with the possession and attempted sale of a gold bookmark reportedly belonging to Adolf Hitler.
According to a complaint filed in a Seattle federal court, the bookmark was stolen along with several other items in October 2002 from an auction house in Madrid, Spain.
The suspect in the sale of the bookmark, Christian Popescu, 37, was arrested Nov. 25 after allegedly trying to sell the bookmark to an undercover agent at a Bellevue Starbucks on Northeast Eighth Street.
Popescu has been charged with sale of stolen property and could face up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine.
Emily Langlie, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Seattle, said she could not add any information beyond what is contained in the complaint filed against Popescu, including how the suspect allegedly came into possession of the bookmark.
Langlie did say Popescu was scheduled for a detention hearing the afternoon of Dec. 1. She added it was unclear if more information would be made public at that point, but the hearing occurred after Reporter deadlines for this issue.
According to information contained in the complaint filed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the bookmark was a gift to Hitler from his longtime female companion Eva Braun, apparently meant to help console Hitler after the German army’s defeat at Stalingrad in February 1943. The bookmark is believed to have previously belonged to the family of Wilhelm Keitel, an armed-forces chief under Hitler, who was executed following the Nuremberg trials, according to ICE.
The federal complaint places the value of the bookmark at approximately $13,000, though it also claims Popescu wanted to sell the item for between $100,000 and $150,000.
According to the federal document, a confidential informant led ICE agents to launch an investigation into the whereabouts of the bookmark and possible connections to Popescu beginning in August 2008. They allegedly first watched Popescu meet with their informant in the parking lot of the Bellevue Starbucks Nov. 10 when Popescu reportedly showed the informant the bookmark.
The complaint further alleges Popescu had first contacted the informant about help with selling the bookmark some three years ago and provided pictures of the item to show to potential buyers. Working with INTERPOL and Spanish police agencies, ICE agents claim they were able to confirm the item allegedly held by Popescu was the bookmark stolen in 2002. The federal complaint further alleges Popescu told the ICE informant he knew the item was stolen.
The ICE complaint states Spanish National Police arrested a Romanian national in connection with the auction-house incident. The complaint contains no information alleging or denying any link between Popescu, who is also Romanian according to an ICE press release, and the auction-house theft.
The ICE press release further states that while most of the items stolen in the auction-house incident have been recovered, the bookmark had not surfaced for six years.
In detailing the events leading to Popescu’s arrest, the federal complaint states that on Nov. 24 the confidential source again made contact with the suspect, telling him he had located a potential buyer willing to purchase the bookmark for between $90,000 and $100,000. On the following day, the ICE states one of its agents, posing as the buyer, contacted Popescu directly and eventually made arrangements for a meeting at the Eighth Street Starbucks.
Again according to the ICE, agents waited at the Starbucks while Popescu and the undercover officer met and discussed the terms of a possible sale. Popescu reportedly asked for $150,000, claiming the item had been difficult to get into the U.S. Ultimately, the ICE states Popescu agreed to a $100,000 selling price and produced the bookmark for the agent to examine. The agent reportedly told Popescu he had the money for the sale in his car and the pair purportedly went to retrieve the cash. Popescu was arrested after accepting the money, the complaint concludes.
