Ohio Man Agrees to Plead Guilty to Interstate Transportation of Stolen Andy Warhol Art Print

LOS ANGELES - An Ohio man has agreed to plead guilty to a federal criminal charge for trafficking a stolen Andy Warhol print worth at least $175,000.

Image Source: Federal Plea Agreement

Brian Alec Light, 58, of Hudson, Ohio (formerly a resident of downtown Los Angeles), is expected to plead guilty in the coming weeks to one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. His initial appearance in federal court is scheduled for October 28.

According to his plea agreement, a thief stole the Warhol print - a trial proof depicting former Soviet Union leader Vladimir Lenin and was print number 44 of 46 total Warhol made - from the victim's home in Los Angeles County in early 2021. The victim informed law enforcement of its theft soon after, as well as the original gallery in West Hollywood that sold him the artwork. Days after the theft, the thief brought the artwork to a pawnshop, which purchased it. The pawnshop's owner contacted Light for help selling the artwork, which Light knew was stolen. Light contacted an auction house to sell the print within weeks of its theft. Light told the pawnshop owner to drop off the Warhol at the auction house in Beverly Hills so that it could be transported to Dallas for inspection and sale, which the pawnshop owner did.

The auction house shipped the Warhol artwork to Dallas where it was to be inspected and included in an upcoming auction in the spring of 2021. An employee of the auction house in Dallas reached out to the gallery in West Hollywood for its opinion of the piece. The gallery immediately recognized the piece as the stolen piece of art. As a result, the gallery notified the auction house of its stolen nature and notified the FBI. When the FBI questioned Light about it, he lied and created a fake receipt purporting to show that he bought the print before it was stolen.

Upon pleading guilty, Light will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

As part of his plea agreement, Light will forfeit the stolen artwork retrieved by law enforcement.

The FBI's Art Crime Team is investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Erik Silber, Senior Counsel in the Criminal Division and Assistant United States Attorneys Dominique Caamano and Matthew O'Brien, of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, are prosecuting this case.

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