WWII historian gets prison time

BALTIMORE — A French historian who was a recognized expert on the D-Day invasion was sentenced to 364 days in prison for stealing dog tags and numerous other relics of U.S. servicemen whose planes crashed during World War II, officials said Tuesday.

Antonin DeHays, whose research focused on events at the French beach at Normandy, where President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s troops launched the D-Day invasion, pilfered nearly 300 dog tags and other war relics during visits to a public research room of the National Archives in College Park, Md.

The systematic thefts by DeHays, a 33-year-old native of Normandy, took place during visits to the research room from 2012 to 2017. The published historian used his researcher identification card to access the artifacts.

On Tuesday, Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero said he was relieved to hear of the historian’s sentence and remained appalled by the thefts.

“His sentence sends a strong message to others who may contemplate stealing our nation’s history,” Ferreiro said.

In an impact statement provided to the court, Ferreiro said the National Archives has spent tens of thousands of dollars reviewing the materials DeHays stole and seeking to recover items from third-party purchasers.

DeHays peddled the majority of the stolen items on eBay and elsewhere to unwitting buyers. He made thousands of dollars selling many of the 291 dog tags and 134 records, including personal letters, photographs and small pieces of U.S. aircraft downed during the war.