Friday, October 26, 2007

Arrest in Goya Theft

From the AP:

"A truck driver who stole an art masterpiece from an unattended transport truck, then claimed he found it in his basement was charged with theft .... Steven Lee Olson, 49, was charged with stealing 'Children with a Cart,' a 1778 painting by famed Spanish artist Francisco de Goya, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The painting was insured at a value of about $1 million. ... The painting was being trucked to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City from Ohio's Toledo Museum of Art last November. It was stolen as the transport drivers spent the night at a Pennsylvania motel. They discovered it missing the next morning. Within days, Olson contacted federal authorities through an attorney to say he found the painting in his basement, said U.S Attorney's office spokesman Michael Drewniak. After a lengthy investigation, authorities determined that Olson, a self-employed truck driver, had lifted the piece himself, Drewniak said."