Surprisingly, it took about 6 years for the verdict to be made! He apologizes to China, absurd! The American broke and stole the thumb of the Terra Cotta Warriors
On December 21, 2017, Michael Rohanna, an American man, sneaked into the Franklin Museum in Philadelphia and broke and stole the thumb of a Chinese Terra Cotta Warriors on display. Although the stolen thumb was later recovered, this incident still attracted widespread attention.
According to the World Journal in the United States, on September 6, 2023 local time, District Judge Kenny of the Philadelphia Federal Court sentenced Rohana to five years of probation.
According to reports, Rohana apologized to his family and the Chinese government during the hearing. He said, "After this incident, I understand that these archaeological relics should be greatly respected and should not be destroyed.". Judge Kenny not only sentenced Rohana to five years of probation, but also ordered him to pay a fine of $5000 and complete 100 hours of community service. As for the amount of compensation for the Franklin Museum, the insurance company and the Chinese museum collecting the Terra Cotta Warriors, it will be determined at the next hearing.
Assistant prosecutor Newton stated on September 6th that Rohana may not have intended to trigger an international event, but his actions have caused "permanent damage" to international cultural exchange.
Previously reported
From September 2017 to March 2018, the exhibition Terra Cotta Warriors: The Eternal Guard of Emperor Qin Shihuang, jointly held by Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Exchange Center and the Franklin Science Museum in Philadelphia, USA, was exhibited in the United States.
During the exhibition, Michael Rohanna, a young man from Delaware, took advantage of the loophole of the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibition hall that was not completely closed when he attended the evening party held by the Franklin Science Museum, broke and stole the left thumb of the "Terracotta Cavalry" on display. The museum reported to the police afterwards, and the FBI caught the suspect and recovered the stolen thumb.
After the Finger Incident, both the Franklin Museum of Science and the Philadelphia government officially apologized. The Chinese side strongly condemns the act of damaging cultural relics and demands that the US provide a written explanation on this matter, and severely punish the "perpetrators".
On April 9, 2019, in response to the case, due to the majority of jury members finding the defendant innocent, the local court ruled the trial invalid, the jury disbanded, and the case was later reopened.
US media revealed that the jury conducted an 11 hour review on whether Michael Rohana should be convicted of crimes including theft and concealment of cultural heritage items.
Rohana's defense lawyer Catherine Henry stated in her final statement that he was just a drunk child.
But Rohana himself said, "I don't know why I wanted to destroy it." He said, "Every time I see this video now, I try to figure out, 'What was going on in your mind? What was going on?' I don't know how I could be so foolish."
The report stated that although Rohana admitted to committing such a crime, his lawyer stated that he was not charged correctly according to relevant laws.
