A federal judge in Baltimore ruled Friday that a New York collector charged with stealing documents from a Maryland archive can be freed on bail. Barry Landau is to be released Monday, The Baltimore Sun reported. He will be required to spend most of his time in his Manhattan apartment without access to the Internet.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake said prosecutors did not make a convincing case that Landau is a flight risk or that he might destroy stolen historical documents to get rid of evidence against him.
Landau and a co-defendant, Jason Savedoff, were arrested at the Maryland Historical Society. They allegedly removed 60 documents, including one bearing Abraham Lincoln's signature, with a total sale value estimated at $1 million.
Savedoff, who was released on $250,000 bail last week, is cooperating with investigators, the report said.
Investigators who searched Landau's apartment removed thousands of documents they say be have been stolen from libraries.
