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Man charged with stealing art he 'found'
Associated Press
Published October 28, 2007
TRENTON, N.J. - A truck driver who claimed he found an art masterpiece in his basement was charged with theft. Steven Lee Olson, 49, was charged with stealing Children With a Cart, a 1778 painting by Spanish artist Francisco de Goya, from an unattended transport truck, prosecutors said Wednesday. The painting was insured at a value of $1-million. In an initial appearance in federal court in Newark, Olson did not immediately contest his detainment. A bail hearing was scheduled for Wednesday. 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 authorities through an attorney to say he found the painting in his basement. After a lengthy investigation, authorities determined that Olson, a self-employed truck driver, had lifted the piece himself. Olson was arrested without incident on Tuesday. The painting was returned undamaged to the Toledo museum.
[Last modified October 28, 2007, 01:43:50]
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