Famous American art thief Myles Connor reacts to Louvre Museum heist: 'They will be vilified'
The theft that occurred at the Louvre Museum in Paris over the weekend is "damn close" to the most expensive museum theft in history, according to one of the most famous art thieves in the world.
Myles Connor walked into the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and walked out with a Rembrandt painting in the 1980s.
"The best that they can do if they want to make any money out of them would be to hang on to them for a few years and then have somebody approach the museum, let’s say, an attorney, and say, 'Listen, I've got these guys that might be able to recover them, but they're putting their life in danger,'" Connor said to ABC News by phone when asked how the thieves could get any money from the heist.
He estimates the reward for the items taken from the Louvre could be as much as $5 million.
"I stole the Rembrandt out of the MFA, that was my goal,” he said.
Connor said he stole the Rembrandt painting with the intention of ultimately using that as "a bargain chip" to have the charges reduced or dismissed against him.
"And I did that. And on top of that, I got a I got a $50,000 reward for discovering and returning the payment to the museum. So, I not only had my charges dismissed, but I got a cash reward," Connor said.
The painting was returned by his friend Al Dotoli, who was a one-time manager to Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick.
Connor said it would be a shame if the stolen items from the Louvre were ruined because of the historical significance.
On Sunday, several people disguised as construction workers broke into the world-famous museum in Paris, cracking open display cases and stealing jewelry that once belonged Emperor Napoleon I and his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise, according to officials.
French officials have since launched an investigation into the robbery. So far, no suspects have been identified publicly.
At least nine pieces of jewelry of "inestimable heritage and historical value" -- including crowns, necklaces, earrings and brooches -- were taken in the brazen heist before the thieves made their getaway on motorcycles, officials said.
"It's an immense collection of irreplaceable artifacts. It's not just the value of the stones, it's the value interest, value of the esthetics of the history and what they represent to the country,” Connor told ABC News.
“They will be vilified by the entire country because they are national treasures," he said.
