A house painter from Pennsylvania is accused of stealing six paintings, including an etching by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), from an estate in Long Island, NY. Joselito Vega, who was caught on camera during a sting operation, was hired in 2011 to fix flood damage to the house of renowned art collectors Hannelore and Rudolph Schulhof. The couple’s 350-piece collection includes works by Jasper Johns (b. 1930), Mark Rothko (1903-1970), and Picasso.
Officials launched their investigation of Vega after Hannelore Schulhof’s death in 2012. A subsequent inventory of the Schulhof’s collection revealed that three paintings were missing. Among the missing works were Jean Dubuffet’s (1901-1985) Le Fauteuil II, which is said to be worth $50,000, Frank Stella’s (b. 1936) Tuftonboro, and Norman Lewis’ (1909-1979) Flower. Officials were able to track the Dubuffet painting to a gallery in Oakland, CA, which brokered the sale of the painting to a buyer for $8,500.
Officials arrested Vega after a sting operation last week during which he attempted to steal three more works from the Schulhof’s home including the Picasso etching, Three Graces II, which is valued at $100,000. He also made off with Dubuffet’s Chien and Yaacov Agam’s (b. 1928) Presence de Rhythmes.
Vega was indicted on charges of money laundering, identity theft, and grand larceny. He is currently being held on $1 million bail and faces up to 11 years in prison. He faces an additional grand larceny charge in Nassau County, which could add another 15 years in prison to his sentence.
