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No Additional Jail Time For Main Line Housekeeper After She Returned Collectible

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By Brad Segall

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NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- The former housekeeper currently serving six years in federal prison in connection with the theft of a rare bust of Benjamin Franklin from a Main Line home last year (see related story) has now been sentenced at the county level after making a deal.

A Montgomery County judge today sentenced Andrea Lawton of Philadelphia to ten years' probation following completion of her federal prison term.  She pleaded guilty in April to felony charges of burglary and conspiracy.  Prosecutors indicated they would not pursue additional jail time for the 47-year-old woman if she returned a rare framed shadow box containing a photo and baton of composer-conductor Victor Herbert.

Prosecutor Kevin Steele says the shadow box was turned over in court.

"The victim and the victim's family were ecstatic about this piece being returned," Steele tells KYW Newsradio.  "This is an irreplaceable item that they have been heartbroken about."

hrbert_victor stolen photo _prov
(File photo of framed picture of Victor Herbert, stolen from a Main Line home.)

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Authorities say Lawton and an accomplice stole the shadow box and the Franklin bust from a Bryn Mawr home last August because she was angry about being fired.

The bust, valued at three million dollars, was damaged when she fled to Alabama to try to sell it (see related story).

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