A 24-year-old Chinese woman has been charged in Paris for stealing gold nuggets worth nearly $1.7 million from France’s Museum of Natural History.
According to reports, the daring theft took place on September 16, 2025, when staff arrived at the museum to find two doors cut open with a circular saw and display cases smashed using a blowtorch. Several historical gold nuggets had vanished — including an 11-pound Australian nugget, gold from the California Gold Rush, and another piece gifted to France by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia in 1833.
Authorities later arrested the suspect in Barcelona, Spain, while she was preparing to fly back to China. Some melted gold pieces were reportedly found in her possession.
French investigators say the crime caused about $58,000 in property damage, but the real loss is far greater — the nuggets held scientific and cultural value that’s considered priceless.
The woman faces charges of organized theft and criminal conspiracy, which carry a maximum prison sentence of 15 years in France. Police are still investigating whether she acted alone or had accomplices.