Thomas Doyle Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court to Defrauding the Purchaser of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s Painting “Portrait of a Girl”

The case of the missing masterpiece more closely resembles a spoof of a whodunit, such as Murder by Death, than real life.

According to a lawsuit filed on August 30 by Kristin Trudgeon, a painting she co-owned, "Portrait of a Girl" by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot worth an estimated $1.35 million, was entrusted to James Carl Haggerty and never returned after he showed it to a prospective buyer.

According to court documents, the prospective buyer, Offer Waterman, and Haggerty, met at the office belonging to the painting's co-owner, Tom Doyle, in order to inspect the painting. Doyle later met Haggerty at Rue 57, a restaurant on the upper east side of Manhattan where Read more here

Official filed paperwork on the case

Stolen Art Information

From The FBI Website: It’s like stealing history. Art and cultural property crime—which includes theft, fraud, looting, and trafficking across state and international lines—is a looming criminal enterprise with estimated losses running as high as $6 billion annually. To recover these precious pieces—and to bring these criminals to justice—the FBI has a dedicated Art Crime Team of 13 special agents, supported by three special trial attorneys for prosecutions. And it runs the National Stolen Art File, a computerized index of reported stolen art and cultural properties for the use of law enforcement agencies across the world. Please note: U.S. persons and organizations requiring access to the National Stolen Art File should contact their closest FBI Field Office; international organizations should contact their closest FBI Legal Attaché Office. FBI Top Ten Art Crimes - Iraqi Looted and Stolen Artifacts - Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Theft - Theft of Caravaggio's Nativity with San Lorenzo and San Francesco - Theft of the Davidoff-Morini Stradivarius - The Van Gogh Museum Robbery - Theft of Cezanne's View of Auvers-sur-Oise - Theft of the Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Murals, Panels 3-A and 3-B - Theft from the Museu Chacara do Céu - Theft of Van Mieris's A Cavalier - Theft from E.G. Bührle Collection, Zurich Initiatives & Background - Art Crime Team - National Stolen Art File - Jurisdiction/Legislation Report Stolen Art - Submit a Tip Online - Contact Your Local FBI Office - Contact Your Nearest Overseas Office Protect Your Treasures - Advice from an Art Theft Expert Other Resources - Interpol Stolen Works of Art - Museum Security Network - International Council of Museums - More