Justice Breyer and wife robbed by machete-wielding man in West Indies

Justice Stephen G. Breyer and his wife, Johanna, was robbed by masked and machete-wielding man last week while on vacation in their home island in the West Indies, the Supreme Court spokeswoman confirmed Monday.

Kathy Arberg said neither Breyers or two friends to visit with them were hurt in the Feb. 9 incident. A masked man who took a vacation home The Breyers' on the island of Nevis after 9 pm stole about $ 1,000 and then to the left, Arberg said.

FBI agents and U.S. March Hals Service involved in investigating the incident. "We are assisting the local police in their investigation," FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said.

The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer said local law enforcement had been notified when Breyers came in Nevis, as usual, but it was not clear whether it was safe justice. It has not been arrested. Breyer has left the island.

Court is normally in February an offense and is next scheduled to meet in private conference Friday.

The Breyers report financial information as they have homes worth between $ 100,000 and $ 250,000 in the land of St. Kitts and Nevis. The 36-square-mile island of Nevis is a frequent vacation spot for Americans.

Breyer is a longtime guest and is often mentioned in travel articles written about the area. The robbery was covered in local media, but without mentioning Breyer, 73, by name.

The Supreme Court is reluctant to disclose details of security for judges. But they often go about their daily lives unknown and unaccompanied.

Known crimes against the current judges are rare. In 2004, a group of young men attacked now-retired Justice David Souter that he was jogging near his apartment in Southwest Washington.

And in 1996, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the victim of a purse-snatching as she and her husband and daughter were walking near the Kennedy Center.