Palace Museum Thief Sentenced to Prison

(Beijing) -- Nearly one year after a 10-million-yuan art heist rocked the management of the Palace Museum, which manages the Forbidden City grounds, courts sentenced a man to prison for illegal trespassing and theft.

On March 19, the Beijing's No. 2 Intermediate People's Court sentenced Shi Bankui to 13 years in prison and fined 13,000 yuan for the theft of nine pieces from the Palace Museum. Prosecutors said Shi held previous convictions in the theft of computers and mobile phones.