THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 1, 1996 TAG: 9607010047
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CHAPEL HILL LENGTH: 26 lines
A Florida antiques dealer accused of stealing rare maps and documents from university libraries has been returned to North Carolina after pleading guilty to similar charges in Virginia.
Gilbert Joseph Bland Jr., 46, of Coral Springs, Fla., was scheduled to appear in court today. He was being held in the Orange County Jail on $20,750 secured bond, police reported.
Bland, who was extradited from Virginia on Friday, is charged with damage and theft of property from a state university, a felony.
On June 19 in a federal court in Charlottesville, Bland pleaded guilty to charges of stealing historic maps from the University of Virginia and transporting them across state lines. He also admitted to stealing six documents from Duke University.
Bland is awaiting sentencing on those charges and is fighting extradition to Delaware where he faces 12 felony charges.
He is accused of stealing more than 140 rare documents worth at least $200,000 from a dozen universities. by CNB