Man Who Stole Thumb Off Statue Faces Up To Two Years In Jail

After several years of waiting...the thumb master may be going to jail. Back in December of 2017, Michael Rohana attended an after hours ugly Christmas sweater party at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. While at the party, Michael found himself intoxicated in the room of a statue of a terra cotta warrior named the "Cavalryman." After snapping a selfie with the Chinese statue, Michael then broke the thumb off, stuck it in his pocket, and went back to the party. An investigation from the FBI was started day when museum officials noticed the thumb was missing in January of 2018. Agents tracked Michael down at his home, questioned the man, and that's when he turned the thumb over. The Chinese government wanted a harsh penalty for the man. In 2019, he faced charges and admitted to making a drunken mistake. A mistrial was declared them when the jury deadlocked. A possible retrial was delayed due to the pandemic, but7 now that that's allover, Michael is facing 2 years in prison and a $20k fine. He could have gotten 30 years in the big house. The 10 statues in the exhibit are valued at $4.1 million and the thumb itself is valued at $5k.