Woman Arrested In Md. Pleads Guilty In Ben Franklin Bust Case
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A housekeeper has pleaded guilty to a federal charge in the case of a bust of Benjamin Franklin taken from a home in suburban Philadelphia.
Mobile, Ala., resident Andrea Lawton, 46, pleaded guilty Tuesday to interstate transportation of stolen property for allegedly fleeing with the bust to Alabama in August. Prosecutors allege she had made plans to sell it.
Defense attorney Martin Isenberg says his client made a mistake. A second charge was dismissed as part of a plea agreement. She faces up to 10 years in prison.
Police allege Lawton stole the bust from the home in Bryn Mawr because she was told it was valuable and wanted to get her boss fired.
Isenberg says the bust was damaged, but there is debate over how much it is worth.
Lawton was arrested in Elkton, Md., where the bust was recovered.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
