Man Pleads No Contest in Theft of 55 Oscars

A La Puente man pleaded no contest Tuesday to receiving stolen property in the theft of 55 Oscar statuettes in March 2000.

Anthony Hart, 39, changed his not guilty plea as his trial was set to begin in Superior Court. He faces three years probation and a $200 fine when he is sentenced Dec. 5.

He is the last of three men to change a not guilty plea in the case. John Harris, 55, pleaded no contest to receiving stolen property and faces six months in jail and three years probation when he is sentenced Nov. 6. He also must pay $921 for three missing statuettes. Lawrence Ledent, 39, pleaded no contest in July 2000 to grand theft and was sentenced to six months in jail and five years probation.

The statuettes disappeared from a Roadway Transportation Co. loading dock in Bell days before the Academy Awards ceremony.

Willie Fulgear, a junk salvage man, later found 52 of the Oscars in a Koreatown trash bin near his home. They were returned to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He received $50,000 from Roadway. Fulgear is Harris’ stepbrother but has not been charged.