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Presidential Historian Appears In Federal Court

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Two men accused of swiping historical documents from a Baltimore museum appear in federal court.

Mike Schuh has the latest.

Acclaimed document dealer Barry Landau's hearing lasted just 20 minutes. And though it is easier to get bail in federal court, the judge delayed her decision.

Landau and co-conspirator Jason Savedoff were arrested three weeks ago when police say they were spotted taking Abraham Lincoln documents from the Maryland Historical Society.

The two are charged with theft and conspiracy, and museums across the country are now checking to see if presidential documents are missing.

Landau's release is put off until Monday at the earliest because he couldn't be interviewed by the court before Friday's hearing.

"And the bottom line is, if he's not a danger to the community and there's no reasonable basis that he's a risk of flight, she's going to release him," said Landau's attorney.

The prosecutor says more charges are yet to come. He alluded to the fact that the two may have stolen documents from the national archive.

Landau was a renowned collector, believed to have the largest collection of presidential memorabilia outside of presidential libraries.

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