2023-10-03 04:53:11
A German museum employee was recently arrested on charges of replacing several paintings with fake copies, and selling the originals, in order to obtain huge sums of money, according to Media reports.
Due to strict privacy laws in Germany, the identity of the 30-year-old former employee of the German Museum in Munich has not been revealed.
Investigations reported that he admitted to replacing at least four paintings with fake copies during the period he worked there between 2016 and 2018.
According to those investigations, the employee sold those works of art at several auctions, using the money to pay off debts and buy luxury goods, including a Rolls Royce car and expensive watches.
The auction house involved in the sale of three of the stolen paintings said they “simply were not recognizable as stolen property,” adding that it cooperated with authorities during the investigation.
Years later…a stolen Picasso painting was found
Years later…a stolen Picasso painting was found
The court heard the Public Prosecution’s argument, which stated: “The defendant shamelessly took advantage of the opportunity to access storage rooms… and sold valuable cultural assets in order to show off and secure a high standard of living for himself.”
The museum employee stole the original copy of the painting “Das Märchen vom Froschkönig” (The Tale of the Frog Prince) by the German painter and sculptor, Franz von Stock, and replaced it with a fake copy.
The convict told the auction house that the artwork was owned by his grandparents, and so he sold that copy for about 50,000 euros ($52,000) in cash, after deducting the auction fees.
The employee then exchanged paintings “Die Weinprüfung” (The Wine Test) by Eduard von Grützner and “Zwei Mädchen beim Holzsammeln im Gebirge” (Two Girls Gathering Wood in the Mountains) by Franz von Defriger, and sold them at the same auction house, earning tens of thousands of dollars for it.
He also stole the painting “Dirndl” by Franz von Defriger, and tried to sell it through a different auction house in Munich, but failed.
In the end, the thief was able to avoid imprisonment, as the court sentenced him to a 21-month suspended prison sentence, and to pay more than $64,000 to the museum.
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The court explained in its decision that it “took into account the man’s confession of guilt, in addition to his showing genuine remorse.”
For his part, a museum spokesman said: “All of our staff are very reliable, but there is not much we can do if someone has criminal intentions.”
He added: “He had no previous record and there was no way to know that he was capable of those actions when we appointed him.”
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