New York Art Heist

Four men were charged Tuesday in New York state in a case that involved the theft of three paintings worth $500,000 and the burning of a mansion containing artworks worth $1 million. Three men, including a former caretaker of the $6-million mansion, pleaded not guilty in a court in Riverhead, N.Y. A fourth man was expected to face a judge on Wednesday. A fifth suspect pleaded guilty in an unrelated burglary in exchange for his co-operation with the art theft probe, prosecutors said. They were charged after 11 paintings, including one by French cubist Jean Metzinger valued at $420,000, were taken from a home in the hamlet of Quiogue on eastern Long Island in February 2006. Thieves then set fire to the home, destroying another $1 million in art. Prosecutors allege the house was burned to cover up the crime. Prosecutors allege the thieves tried to sell the paintings by sending images of them to several art galleries, including a Manhattan gallery where Levin bought one of the paintings. The gallery then alerted the FBI, which led to arrests in the case. (For full source and full article click the Headline). Irish Art