Man indicted in fraud scheme related to Gardner Museum theft

BOSTON – A West Virginia man has been indicted in connection with a scheme to sell art that was part of a $500 million theft from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. He is accused of trying to sell two of the stolen paintings on Craigslist, but is not suspected to have been part of the theft itself.

Todd Andrew “Mordokwan” Desper, 47, was arrested and charged this May. On Thursday, he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston with four counts of wire fraud and attempted wire fraud.

According to court documents, Desper tried to sell “The Concert” by Johannes Vermer and Rembrandt’s “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee” in several foreign cities including Venice and London. He used an encrypted email account to communicate with potential buyers.

Eventually, authorities were notified of the listings by those seeking the multi-million dollar reward offered by the museum for the paintings’ recovery. At the time of the crime, the Museum was offering a $5 million reward. The reward has since increased to $10 million.

Read more: http://www.patriotledger.com/news/20170721/man-indicted-in-fraud-scheme-related-to-gardner-museum-theft