Super thief jailed after $133M burglaries

Press, 2 April 1980, Page 9

Super thief jailed after $133M burglaries

NZPA-Reuter Fort Lauderdale. Florida: America’s ■ East Coast superthief, John MacCiean, has begun a 15-year prison term for hundreds of burglaries that netted him SUSI33M worth of jewels, and at least one detective found that “kind of sad” to see. Detective Arthur McLellan, MacClean’s nemesis, explained: “I enjoyed working lagainst such a pro. He's a superthief . . , an electronics genius with an I.Q. of 167. land to top it all, he didn't ibelieve in violence. He never carried a gun."

j Mr. McLellan said MacClean was a meticulous [planner and an expert apipraiser of fine jewellery. In the last seven years, the superthief was responsible for burglaries up and down the eastern seaboard, from Maine to the Florida: Keys. “Tn the.end I think he just stole for the thrill of it. He had- everything ... a helicopter, a seaplane, an 11m offshore racing boat, luxury I cars and several homes,” Detective McLelland said, ] MacClean’s Fort Lauder-; dale home, however, was, very “average looking” to! avoid attracting attention,j Mr McLellan said. It was on January 27.1 1979,, that MacCiean made; the mistake which.led to his] arrest. ; I While robbing a home of I ;a wealthy doctor, his special] (radio warned him that , he; ]had tripped a silent burglar] I alarm and that the police; were on their way. 1 In his haste to get. out. he] left the intricate homemade] radio . behind. It was with; that radio that he was able to monitor, all the police channels. Detective McLellan, aged; 37, then spent the next four, months tracing the radio’s; crystals back to their manufacturer, and finally was able, to arrest MacCiean. “He has to be the most successful thief in history ..; I’ve .. never I heard of a single thief working alone getting that' much in jewellery,” the detective said.