In December, we discussed a case in which a New Jersey man was accused of hotel art theft which he placed on the walls of his Hoboken apartment. The work found in his apartment was produced by artists such as Fernand Leger and Picasso. Some of the pieces were valued at as high as $350,000, and according to law enforcement officials, was taken from hotels and galleries attached to the hotels.
The man was charged with theft charges, including grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. The 31-year-old man entered a guilty plea in a San Francisco court this past fall for a Picasso sketch that went missing from a gallery in the city. He was sentenced in New York state court today after entering a separate guilty plea on Feb. 7, 2012 for several works of art reported missing from the Carlyle Hotel.
After the initial guilty plea, a representative for the man reported that the defendant had suffered a “psychotic episode.” The episode led to the nationwide art theft which was not done for profit. The man allegedly had no intention of selling the art for any monetary gain.
Under the plea agreement entered on Feb. 7, the man pled guilty to one charge of second-degree grand larceny. The man will be required to serve a prison sentence of one to three years.
The sentencing guidelines for each criminal charge are simply that, guidelines. For each set of circumstances there may be mitigating or aggravating factors that result in a higher or lower sentence within these guidelines, and in some instances, a departure from the guidelines. The right attorney will advocate for the mitigating factors of your case that will help reduce possible penalties if they cannot be avoided altogether.
Source: SF Appeal, “Man Who Stole Picasso From Union Square Gallery Sentenced In NY Thefts,” Feb. 28, 2012