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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | TDD (202) 514-1888 |
PRESS RELEASE
On July 17, 2007, Joseph U.R.M. Elibosang, was charged with violating Title 18 U.S.C. §641, Theft of Government Property for selling at least twenty-three of the thirty-four bronze name plates stolen from the Pacific National Park, Asan Overlook in Guam. The plates bore the names of Guam citizens and U.S. soldiers who lost their lives during World War II. The plates, which were apparently sold as scrap metal, are believed to be worth as much as $1,700.00 each.
On July 5, 2007, an employee of the U.S. Department of the Interior reported the theft of the name plates. The next day, the Guam Police Department (GPD) recovered seven of the bronze plates and subsequently arrested Elibosang. The remaining plates were later recovered in Hong Kong. The joint investigation with the FBI, GPD, and the National Park Service remains ongoing.
Cooperation from GPD and Customs and Quarantine Agency, Guam, Hong Kong Customs and Excise, FBI Legal Attache, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Police and the US Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection made the recovery of these important monuments possible.
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