10 Questions with a Former Federal Prosecutor who Specialized in Art Crime

KT Newton is a former federal prosecutor out of Philadelphia who was the legal advisor for the FBI’s Art Crime Team. KT prosecuted a number of high profile art-related cases and worked on matters related to restitution and repatriation. Universally respected, she is currently working with Argus Cultural Property Protection and is writing a book about her incredible career.

1. What made you decide to pursue a career in law?

I am actually a 3rd career lawyer. I was a Microbiology major as an undergraduate at the College of William & Mary. I did research in that area for several years after graduation, and then moved to computer science - first as a systems analyst and then in sales. I liked, but did not love, the field and my job and, in my early 30’s, reconsidered what I wanted to do. I thought about law school and actually went through career counseling, as attending law school full-time would mean quitting my job and putting myself in debt. The result of the counseling reinforced my decision to make that career switch, with the counselor telling me that I would most likely love the practice of law and probably be fairly good at it. After saying yes to my husband’s marriage proposal, it was, I think, the best decision I ever made.

2. Did you go right from law school into the U.S. Attorney’s Office?

I did not. After law school, I clerked for a year for the Honorable J. Daniel Mahoney, who was a federal appellate judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. It was a very special year, My two amazing co-clerks and I just loved working with Judge Mahoney, who was a wonderful man, a fine jurist and a true Irish raconteur. Our chambers were in Milford, CT, and we had the added benefit of spending one week each month (at government expense!) in Manhattan when Judge Mahoney was on the panel for hearing oral argument. After that, I joined the Philadelphia law firm of Schnader Harrison as an associate in the Litigation Department. I did a lot of work for UPS, one of the firm’s largest clients, and was also part of the Aviation Practice Group, despite the fact that I knew nothing about airplanes. It was a fascinating area of the law, and we defended companies such as Cessna, unfortunately no longer making planes today. After three years there, I decided I wanted to give something back in public service, and I was fortunate to be hired by the US. Attorney’s Office, where I spent the next 27 years.

3. You have done excellent work in prosecuting art crime cases. Did you seek them out or were they assigned to you by luck of the draw?

I was very lucky. The FBI Art Crime Team had 2 agents in the Philadelphia FBI office, and they wanted a dedicated prosecutor to work with them -- someone who would understand the urgency of responding to international requests for assistance in cultural property matters and who would be well-versed in the laws applicable to art crime cases. My Criminal Chief, with whom I had many discussions over the years about travel and museums, asked me if I would like the position. It took me approximately 2 seconds to say yes!

4. Have you always had a passion for art?

Yes, I have. I don’t know where it came from. I have absolutely no artistic talent, but I have always appreciated and enjoyed all forms of art. I minored in Art History at William & Mary. At one point, I wanted to change my major to Art History and my parents were appalled - thinking how would I ever get a job with that major. That is truly ironic, considering where my career has ended up.

5. What is your most memorable art crime case?

It is difficult to pick just one case, but perhaps my most impactful case involved three thieves, 2 brothers who worked together and separately at times, and someone totally unconnected to them, who all stole antique firearms and other objects from U.S. museums and historical societies, primarily on the U.S. East Coast in the early 1970’s. We investigated and prosecuted these thefts in the late 2010’s. It still somewhat amazes me when I think about the fact that we prosecuted and convicted thieves for the possession of stolen cultural property almost forty years after the thefts occurred. We had several repatriation ceremonies, returning stolen objects to museums, including a ceremony at the Museum of the American Revolution during which we returned more than 40 objects to 17 different institutions. One of those objects, a Colt Whitneyville-Walker revolver, stolen from the Connecticut State Library in the 1970’s, is now worth more than a million dollars. Two Connecticut State Troopers accompanied the curator to the repatriation ceremony to ensure the safe return of the revolver to its home, I am currently writing a book, tentatively titled “Thieves of History,” about these cases.

6. What other sorts of cases did you prosecute?

I have always worked on other types of cases in addition to art crime cases. I started out in the Narcotics Unit, prosecuting large drug-trafficking rings, including prosecuting members of an extensive drug smuggling ring in Colombia. In that case, I had a memorable visit with DEA agents to La Picota prison in Bogata to interview one of the high-ranking members of the ring whom we had indicted. I then spent a number of years in the Economic Crimes Unit, where I investigated large bank fraud and credit card fraud rings with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Secret Service and FBI. One of those bank fraud cases, in which we prosecuted over thirty people, involved two strippers, acting as lieutenants to the ring leader with whom they were both having an affair. Another credit card fraud scheme we prosecuted was run by individuals connected to the Armenian mob in the Glendale, CA area. It was when I was in the Economic Crimes Unit that I started doing art crime cases. My last position before I retired from the U.S. Attorney’s Office was with the Corruption Unit, prosecuting public corruption cases, including bribery of public officials, in addition to my art crime cases.

7. How would you describe the partnership you formed with the FBI art crime team?

It was such a rewarding relationship, both on a professional and personal level. It began with the two Art Crime Team members based in Philadelphia. The opportunity for us to work together as a team from the very beginning of an investigation through to the finish, whether it was an inquiry from a foreign government about an object, the recovery of stolen or looted objects, or the prosecution of an art-related crime, was unique and led to some great results. As a result of my work with them, the Art Crime Team members in other locations, who did not have the benefit of a dedicated prosecutor, knew they could call me for advice or ask me to consult with Assistant U.S. Attorneys in their districts. In a real sense, I became the legal advisor to the Art Crime Team, and participated in a number of their annual conferences, providing legal updates and advice. I count the current and former members of the team not just as valued colleagues dedicated to the protection of cultural property, but also as friends. I continue to work with three of those former Art Crime Team members who are partners with me at Argus Cultural Property Consultants, I also had the pleasure and honor of officiating at the wedding of two Art Crime Team members (and close friends) several years ago.

8. Did you ever do any art-related cases with agencies other than the FBI (HSI? Locals?)

I worked on a number of art-related cases, primarily recoveries and repatriations, with Homeland Security Investigations special agents. One of our most memorable repatriations was the return of three 9th century parchment manuscripts that had been stolen from the State Library of the Abbey of Cava de’ Tirreni, a national monument in Badia di Cava, Italy. Those manuscript pages had been part of a collection of documents given to the University of Pennsylvania library by a wealthy donor but, once we were able to prove to the library that they had been stolen from the library in Badia di Cava, the university wholeheartedly agreed that they should be returned to their home. I also had the opportunity to participate in HSI’s cultural property training with the Smithsonian for several years with a group of talented and committed individuals working in all aspects of cultural property protection. I also worked a great deal with local law enforcement on fraud prosecutions. That is usually where the case would start - a victim or financial institution makes a complaint with the local police department about fraud on their bank or credit account. We were able to take those individual cases, see the same players and patterns over and over again and start working up to the leaders at the top of the fraud scheme. My most important partnership with local law enforcement was in the case that is the basis for “Thieves of History.” That case started with two local detectives who received a complaint about a stolen blunderbuss on display at a local gun show. It turns out that the gun was not stolen, but it started the detectives on the trail of cold case thefts at the Valley Forge Historical Society in the 1960s and 1970s and expanded from there. They are the true heroes of that story, and became partners, colleagues and friends throughout the investigation and prosecution and still today.

9. You left government service after a terrific career and are now with Argus Cultural Property Consultants. How are you enjoying the career shift?

After 27 years as a federal prosecutor, moving back to the private sector has been an adjustment - no subpoena power, no trials to get ready for, no special entrance lines at the federal courthouse. But the change has been wonderful. It was a good time for me to leave federal government service, I am no longer doing trial prep at 2:00 a.m. and I am doing the work that I really love, with respected friends and colleagues. What could be better? There has also been a learning curve. After years of ready-made federal agency clients and totally avoiding social media so that defendants and their families wouldn’t learn much about me, I have entered a new world -- working with my partners to best market and provide our unique blend of expertise and experience - former federal prosecutor, FBI Art Crime Team special agents, State Department cultural property and foreign affairs expert, and military and private industry security and logistics expert. It’s both invigorating and challenging.

10. What is your favorite work of art?

I can’t name just one favorite work of art - I have favorites across media, genres and artists. But there is one piece I have been thinking about a lot recently - a painting that had a tremendous impact on me when I first viewed it and comes to mind in these times. It is John Singer Sargent’s monumental and haunting painting, “Gassed,” a somber frieze of British soldiers in the aftermath of a mustard gas attack in World War I. Sargent painted this work as a commission for the central painting for the Hall of Remembrance at the Imperial War Museums in London. I first saw this work in 2017 almost 100 years after it was created,when it was on display at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia in an exhibit on “World War I and American Art.” For me, it is a reminder of the heartbreaking reality, pain and sacrifice of wars, as well as the humanity of those who serve.