You're a lawyer. What happens if I leave my wallet on the sidewalk and come back an hour later? Should I expect that no one take it? What is my legal recourse? Now let's say I can actually do that and through some magic it's stuck to the concrete right now. Now say, one day, that glue may lift. Is it just of some other group to come around and bury all the unstuck wallets in concrete where no one can get it, including the original owner? Or are they as engaged in theft as the person that just took the wallet.

Both groups take away access from the rightful owner. Their intentions are moot.