A May 2017 search of the Newark, Delaware, home of Michael Kintner Corbett put in motion the recovery of firearms absent from Valley Forge since 1968. Matthew Korfhage chronicled their long-term hunt in USA Today.

Over a course of years, Corbett had stolen historic guns from several museums, including the one at the Valley Forge Historical Society. Other victimized institutions included curated, displayed collectors from Connecticut to Mississippi.

A fervent history fan, Corbett didn’t take them to sell; he was merely content to “have them.”

The long-cold case began to unravel in 2009, when detectives from Upper Merion were tipped off about a gun for sale at an antique show. The informant seemed to think the available pieces were those missing from the Valley Forge Historical Society.

They weren’t.

But over time, the notice eventually led to Corbett.

The recovered artifacts are now being returned to caretakers that include the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, where they will again be able to be (securely) viewed by the public.

As for the criminality of his deeds, Corbett was sentenced to one day in prison, 14 months of house arrest, and payment of a $65,000 fine.

More on Michael Kintner Corbett and his heist of historic artifacts is at USA Today.

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FOX 29 Philadelphia filed this video report of the Michael Kintner Corbett story.