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Ohio man caught selling stolen Warhol print worth millions. FBI investigation reveals pawn shop connection and fabricated receipt. Court date set for October.
An Ohio resident faces federal charges for allegedly attempting to sell a stolen Andy Warhol print valued at $175,000, according to federal prosecutors. Brian Alec Light, 58, has agreed to enter a guilty plea for interstate transportation of stolen artwork, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced Tuesday. Light is scheduled to appear before the federal court for his plea hearing on October 28th.
According to People, in 2021, an unknown thief stole a Warhol Lenin print from a house in Los Angeles. The owner reported the theft to law enforcement and a West Hollywood gallery where the piece was purchased.
The thief tried pawning off the stolen Warhol at a local shop, as per the plea agreement Light made. The pawn shop owner contacted Light to help sell the art, which Light allegedly knew was stolen.
Light reportedly contacted an auction house about the print, shipping it to Dallas for evaluation in March 2021. The auction house called the WeHo gallery that originally sold the piece to verify its authenticity. The gallery recognized it as the stolen piece by Warhol and alerted the FBI. For the unversed, Andy Warhol was an American visual artist who was a leading figure in the pop art movement in the second half of the 20th century.
When the feds questioned Light in March 2021, he claimed he bought the print for $18,000 cash, receipt and all. Light later admitted to fabricating that receipt to mislead the FBI, prosecutors allege.
The stolen Warhol print features a disembodied painted sketch of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. Federal prosecutors released photographs showing Warhol's signature in the bottom left corner of the artwork.
Light faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Light's lawyer declined to comment when asked.
This case demonstrates the challenges in recovering and locating expensive stolen art. Authorities say collaboration between auction houses, galleries, and law enforcement was crucial in tracking down the stolen Warhol.
