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AP, file
"Odalisque in Pants" by Henri Matisse.
Two people were sentenced Tuesday for their roles in the attempted sale of a stolen Henri Matisse painting in Miami Beach, authorities said.
Pedro Antonio Marcuello Guzman, 46, of Miami was sentenced to 33 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and Maria Martha Elisa Ornelas Lazo, 50, of Mexico City received a sentence of 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Steinbach announced.
The pair pleaded guilty Oct. 30 to charges relating to the transportation, possession and attempted sale of "Odalisque in Red Pants" by Matisse, the authorities said in a statement.
It was stolen from the Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art in Venezuela around December 2002, they said.
Marcuello negotiated the painting's sale for about $740,000 in a series of meetings with undercover FBI agents between December 2011 and July 13, 2012, authorities said.
He also agreed to have the work transported by courier from Mexico to the U.S., and on July 16 Ornelas took "Odalisque in Red Pants" from Mexico City to Miami, according to authorities.
The next day, on July 17, Marcuello and Ornelas produced the painting to undercover agents as part of the purported sale, authorities said. Both defendants knew the artwork had been stolen, authorities added.
NBCMiami.com
Leave a Comment:
Why is the woman from Mexico City being given 3 years of supervised probation after she serves 21 months of jail time? She should be deported the day she finishes serving her time behind bars and never allowed to enter this country ever again.
Sounds like she made a deal with our President. She probably claimed to be selling it for a cartel family and said she can't go back to Mexico or she will be killed. What a soft heart he has.
I would have thought a story about art theft, and FBI sting operation and subsequent arrests was totally apolitical.
I was wrong.
sittingonafence,
She should just be deported "Now" instead of paying for her to stay in jail here.
I always wondered why Mexicans have multiple names. He has four names while she has five...
Does anyone know why?!
dman- Things are bad for the right wing, rabid Obama haters. They're having a rough time and just can't stop spouting their anti-Obama garbage, anytime, anywhere the opportunity arises. I call it political Tourettes and they got it bad.
Meanwhile...that woman has way too many names.
A simple theft becomes political? lol Only in America. So if the couple had been irish, then what?
But the silver lining here is that you are so upset and unhappy that we are going to have FOUR MORE YEARS, FOUR MORE YEARS, FOUR MORE YEARS, and so you spend your days complaining.
Creek dog, the multiple names show the family tree. each name honors the generation before them.
Side note: My 10 year old grandson paints better then that lol
Lets see, it was stolen in Venezuela, made it to Mexico and got to the US. This robbery crosses several countries borders and that make it International Law. That puts the crime in a different ball park. It is not the same as stealing from a home and trying to pawn the goods on the other side of town. After the punishment I'm sure the deportation will follow. Like many I don't see the supervised release part.
In my opinion George, the laws of this country provide for persons that do not have citizenship status to be deported for illegal activities. Country of origin does not matter, however I do believe it is way beyond time that we start enforcing our laws.
@Bluelake - Things are bad because the idiot libtards such as yourself are completely blind to Obama's moronic ways. It has to do with the integrity of our nation being compromised. The more debt that idiot accumulates, the more handouts he gives lazy people is the closer we are to a failed nation. You are another blind idiot.
Is it just me or is that painting just a little out of focus............I think he needs sharper paint brushes.
Creek Dog,
In Spanish speaking countries, you have two last names. Your first last name is your father's first last name, and your second last name is your mother's first last name.
@youdon'tknowjack- Actually your screen name should be...well you know. Let me give you a quick history/economics lesson. Going all the way back to the kings of England and the European continent it was a given that if you went to war you had to figure out a way to pay for that war. Those kings would send out their tax collectors and the population of the country, the entire population, would have to contribute material or treasure to the king. Sometimes it took the form of a horse or a weapon or a warm body or a wagon or food or gold or silver, but the war had to be paid for from the beginning.
I'm going to set this off so you might more easily understand it: YOU CAN NOT START A WAR AND CUT TAXES!!! STARTING A WAR AND CUTTING TAXES IS FISCAL SUICIDE!! It's like buying a house and then quitting your job. Where the hell were you when the idiot Bush kid did just that? Started a war in Iraq and then cut taxes for even the wealthiest citizens. How the hell, Mr. don'tknowjack@!$%#, did you expect us to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan??
Of course you did not give a damn when Bush put that war on credit. When he ran up a bill of over a trillion dollars OFF BUDGET?? When he simply left Obama with the trillion dollar deficit and a crippled economy? Were you screaming and yelling and waving your arms and jumping up and down as I picture you doing when you scream and yell your lies about Obama and the deficit? No...I doubt it.
So again, let me bottom line it for right wing retards: YOU CAN NOT CUT TAXES AND GO TO WAR!!! Unless you're George W. Cheney!!
I'm sorry I'm so off thread everybody but idiots like don'tknowjack@!$%# just drive me up a wall. Sorry.
Right OR Left... It's cloudy thinking to believe that a debt such as ours could accumulate in a mere 4 years. Almost nothing can be accomplished in 1 Presidential term... Not to mention one single man. We do have a system of checks and balances which is actually the reason nothing is accomplished. No one body of government makes all the decisions about spending. All you have to do these days is Google the statement a politician makes to instantly know the truth...
Bluelake...Really?? If you were as smart as you thought you were..your post just might be interesting enough to read. The authorization to go to war was voted on by EVERYONE. Tax cuts for EVERYONE came later and did help restart the economy after 9 11. CONGRESS put the war on credit. And the most of the deficit came in the last part of Bushs term when PELOSI and the DUMBOCRATS ran EVERYTHING. Switch your name to blindlake..koolaidlake..or idontreadmuchlake..etc.
Fool-That's bull@!$%# and you know it!!!From 2000 to 2006 we had a solid republikan congress, a total and complete republikan government. The republikan Senate and republikan House could simply ignore and denigrate the democrats that voted against the war and the tax cuts. Like Senator Obama. Tell your bull@!$%# lies to some of your retarded right wing friends who might actually give a rat's ass about your befuddled opinion.
headupbutlake...BS??? just like Bush lied on WMD's?? Go to youtube and watch Clinton and EVERY dumbocrat in 1998 talk about the PROOF on WMD and Clinton signing into executive order "regime change" and then hand it off to the next president. Freekin dumbocrat cowards. I'm from Chicago..and dont start about senator "do nothing..vote on nothing NOBAMA" ..drink someo' koolaid...and where's my FREE CELLPHONE?????
I guess no ones going to discuss the art theft? So let me weigh in on Mr. Obama. Since he has been doling out money that WE THE PEOPLE earn we have had our wages cut, food costs for staples have doubled and in some instances tripled. Now he wants to give a free ride to 11mil ppl who came here illegally, took jobs from AMERICANS , collected foodstamps, got a free education etc... Now the moron wants us to hand over social security to them all so they can feel warm and fuzzy inside. Obviously the Obama lovers don't have to worry about their next meal, their savings hasn't been diminished because employers are cutting wages or simply cutting jobs. Too many hard working AMERICANS have lost their homes, their jobs, businesses, families have split and they can't afford to feed THEIR families. These folks worked hard for years so they could provide for their families and maybe retire. But now you have 65yr olds who still have to work, you can forget about sending your kids to a good college because they are working to help support their families too. Obamas concern "going green"???? Who among us can afford to go green at this point? Who cares because until the rest of the world does something about their environment WE are pissing in the wind. Health care for everyone hahahahahah you mean 8bux/gal of gas, meat to be bought by the gram just like Canada and England????? Employers who utilize illegals should lose their businesses. We do not and will not give any business our money if they employ illegals. We had a seafood company put out an ad for cdl drivers 600 ppl applied. They hired an illegal with no CDL or license. Just so happens we knew the folks who were getting the seafood. That company can't get anyone to work for them and no one buys their products. The only ppl benifiting from OBAMA are illegals, welfare getting drug addicts, energy companies that go bancrupt AFTER they get our money etc... I'd say more but you'd only cry about Republicans vs Liberal BS Its a fact don't really care what your political party is. WE THE PEOPLE are going broke paying for Mr. Morons "dreams"
blulakebuthead..voting for the afgan war---house of reps..420 yes 1-no...senate..98yes..0 no
voting on iraq war house of reps..R-215yes..D-82 yes senate R-48 D-29...MAJORITY on both.
And one of your HEROES...BIDEN..voted yes on BOTH.
NursSilas...good post
I've seen some beautiful nude paintings but this isn't one of them. If they had tried to sell it to me they wouldn't have gotten a dime.
@NursSilas @justsayin...fool obama is the reason why people dont have money...lolololol yet you can afford the internet, that much is clear to us...if people lost their home its because they took on a home and mortgage that was to big back in 07 when the big banks were handing out those utterly stupid home loans to people who couldnt afford it...i remember it so clear all my friends were moving into these upscale homes and im like how can you afford this working at best buy or georgia power when you make 12$ an hour...i was not one of those people who were fooled by this non-sense i saw it coming...now my friends are in apartments and you know what im in a house because i waited until i had the funds saved up for one...
tell me smart guys how much debt were we in when obama took office? as i remember the majority of the people of the US didnt want to go to war with IRAQ but BUSH said "HE TRYED TO KILL MY FATHER, HE TRYED TO KILL MY FATHER SON" all we wanted to do was go into AFGHANISTAN and get OSAMA BIN LADEN but we didnt get him there but were still in AFGHANISTAN butcause we cant pick up and leave or we might end up like the USSR...
what abhout the billions that the bush regime ran up on our defense budget, and spying on its own people...sure bush and his flunkies got paid but us the american people went broke...TEXACO and SHELL is still going strong from the oil they have graped in IRAQ but prices remain the same...OBAMA doesnt own either company but your republican buddies do...
as far as health care i need some being i havent been to a doctor since i was 18 im 27 now..i cant afford it, thank god im young black and have my health otherwise i would be typing this from the grave...you think a repub gives a damn if i get sick and need help...HELL NO their going to say pay up or sorry for you...i cant afford to get sick get a doctors bill and miss a payment on my home or miss a payment to the bank, then what will one of the super rich let me crash in one of the 15 rooms at their home i think not, not that i need it im a man and can fend for myself like just taking whats yours if push came to shove but what about the women and children of the country...
your hate for a black man in the office is so clear its like looking through a broken window
When the thieves stole the painting from the museum, they apparently replaced it with a fake. A really bad fake. No one noticed for YEARS that it was a fake, until someone offered a ransom for the original painting. The museum officials then had the painting checked and discovered it was a fake.
@GenSherman..omg you sound like a stupid and uninformed young person. 1st..please read about the Community Reinvestment Act started by Pres Carter and shoved forward by Clinton. 2nd..the oil goes on the WORLD market...repub buddies?? stupid remark. 3rd..no health care?? bet you have the new iPhone.. 4th...I dont hate Nobama..just his policies. 5th.i dont give a rats behind what color he is (half white)
@you give a damn we all know this jusat come clean it will be load off your chest, he maybe half white but his skin color is black,he carries himself like a black man, he even sees himself as black... nope dont have a iphone i have a regulr metro...oil goes around the world? who owns the company selling you the oil? you dont know any of obamas policies, your just making up things... you cant counter anything i wrote because its all truth
@gensherman...normally I don't talk to young morons like yourself..I thought maybe..just maybe..you might comeback with something relatively coherant and intelligent. thanks for showing the world your cards. Again..i don't care about his color. Is all you see Black?ps STOCKHOLDERS own the companies..EINSTIEN !!
@justsayin...fool you sir are 100% a moron, being you havent answer one question i have asked...why is that? because you dont have an answer...all you do is rant on with no proof and no merrit...who are the stockholders 10-1 they are repubs...and the bush family owns standard oil......we all know righties are dumb but you set the bar high
@Einstein/Gensherman ..you only asked one question and it was answered. Have your mommy read this to you and go take your afternoon nap. EVERYONE!!!! Einstein has spoken.... ps merit is spelled with 1 "r' FAIL!!
@justsayin...fool my bad about the 2 "r"s i was just typing fast...2nd i get it your one of those internet tuff guys thats why you keep throwing insults around...you have no clue what america wants...you just spew hate and non-sense
@einstein..Far from a tough guy..I just know an idiot when I read one..ni-nite
@ gensherman...GEEEZZZ..thought I was done. EVERYONE click on GenSherman and read some of his past posts. Just as suspected..young,dumb and a RACIST
Personally, I like the painting. I cannot judge the over all level of talent;I'll leave that to experts. But i like it, and I'd hang it in my home ...if I could afford it.
@justsayin...fool im no racist, i just like to mess with the racist white guys when they leave racist comments...i beleave all humans are equal...post one of the dumb comments ive posted, go ahead...i'll wait...
@justsayin...fool by the way i clicked on your name and read your comments...you seem like the dumb one and the racist...all you do is insult people and call them names....seems like you have the little man complex so you call people names to big yourself up
They could have at least stolen a nice looking painting. I don't know which room of my house I could display something so ugly.
That is because you artistically illiterate...not your fault...it was most likely cut from your schools budget!
Where is the art? Just because it was painted a long time ago doesn't make it a good art piece. I see a lot of art that looks like a 3 year old threw paint on a board. Maybe your acid and drugs makes it look better, but this is %hit, not art.
youdon'tknowjack but this %hit, not art.
You forgot to say its obscene for nudity.
Not a very good Matisse. If it really is a Matisse.
Hmmm. As an art conservator, historian and artist, this was not stolen because of its looks. Too obscure and yeah, maybe kind of ugly. It was stolen because of the artist's name. Not to mention if you steal recognizable art, you are much more likely to get caught. They probably didn't know what Matisse's best works are. Brought it to the US as they could not get it overseas and got a higher price than in South America. You have to see art like designer clothing or name brand electronics or any other kind of trend. At the time, it was crazy-weird and different, so younger, hip-per people embraced it but most people though it was rubbish. Matisse does have some beautiful work, but collectors often want something obscure. If they wanted to get away with it, they should have sold it in South America for less cash. I think most serious collectors would alert the cops if a couple of Mexicans tried to sell me a Matisse...You cannot really put stolen art on display... You'll get so busted. Just sayin'.
I don't know much about art, but I know I like boobies
It's not exactly fair to call anyone 'artistically illiterate' in the US. Federal and State governments care little about art. It doesn't make money. And art teachers make about half of what math teachers make because no one considers that people have to learn to be creative to succeed in any field. Perhaps innovation should be inborn? It can be taught, as well. I am from the US but live in the UK doing a PhD. Though funding is being cut for arts here, they still spend 10x the amount that the entire US Federal government spends on arts funding. And this country is pretty small... Don't be so quick to try and offend people with less knowledge about art because, yes, there is likely no arts education in most schools in the US.
did i not say tht it is not their fault??? I do think there is "art literacy" we just do not teach people how to understand art like we do words or numbers...
Doug - best comment yet
the only part of the painting done well is the tata's and they look as if the artist spent most of his time on.
Other then that, we have created a super class of human that we call politician, given them life and death power over us, granted them the ability to pass laws that do not pertain to them, and we sit in awe and wonderment at there decision making process.
They-politicians- are thrilled that we spend our time casting stones at the other party rather then take note of the fact that they-politicians- all are responsible for the failure that we pay for out of our pockets through taxes they have imposed to cover their wild spending.
so who's the dummy here (yeah, I know....)
Send the mexicans back to where they came from!
GB-19...
I agree whole heartedly with your desire to send them back where they came from.
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust.
Then quickly load their carcasses on a plane bound for Mexico before they start to stink any worse than they already do.
Ol' Pedro is an American from Miami.
I used to be really anti immigration, but then I remembered something, we all come from people who immigrated over here and stole land from the REAL Native Americans. So we really have no room to talk.
Drop 'em off in Mexico, but don't bother to land the plane.
$740,000, you got to be kidding me. I know elementary school kids that can paint a better picture.
and you are a fool and have know idea what so ever!
That is because you artistically illiterate...not your fault...it was most likely cut from your schools budget!
SumFunGi,
Are you trying to be funny? I doubt it because you called someone a fool. Oh well nobody likes you anyway.
Mike-Pa, If the thing was only worth $50.00 I wouldn't pay .50 cents
how do you know who likes or dislikes me....?
fool
noun
1.
a silly or stupid person; a person who lacks judgment or sense.
this person lacks judgment or sense when it comes to statements about an artworks integrity...
also I would repeat this sentiment for you...the aesthetic quality of a work of art does not have any bearing on its importance to the history of art. Most people in this country do not understand or value art because we no longer value its importance on society and therefor no longer value its importance in education.
SumFun,
"We no longer value it's importance" Tell me then -WTF is it's Importance? $740,000.00 -Trust me, you'll have a hard time convincing me. Just a bunch of people with too much money!!!
SumFun,
I have a feeling your poster name is far from the truth.
My guess is that you annoy people, therefore the "nobody likes you" thing applies.
Maria Martha Elisa Ornelas Lazo? 5 names, how confusing that must be. She should just go by Mmeol. The second "m" would be silent... or maybe the first one.
I am so glad that this wonderful painting was found that is all that is important nothing more nothing less and that is a fact.
I agree carol-448944 , I am glad the painting is recovered so much art is stolen, and then is never to be seen again, As for the the people who stole it they got what they deserved.
yes indeed!
Why do the females always get the lighter sentence? Male: 33 months. Female: 21 months. Disgusting.
She was probably an accessory to the fact and hid the painting for the theif.
In this instance, we don't know if they were equal partners in crime (not enough information in the article). Could be, as 6dogs suggests, that the woman didn't participate in the theft, and just held onto the painting for him (or in some other way was less involved than the man). If they were equal partners (both were present when the painting was actually stolen, fled the scene, both hid the painting and both were present trying to sell it), I agree then that they should receive the same amount of jail time.
Painting looks like a reject from a kindergarten crayon class. I just hope the 5yr old didn't get kicked out of school for coloring a half nude ugly lady.
omg, that painting looks like me!! Blobby belly and fat rolls! And crappy thin hair! I do know my grandmother was in Paris in the 20's....but she never told me she posed for Matisse!
And instead of serving a sentence in the US, they should just drive them to Ciudad Juarez, drop them off in the street in the middle of the night! If they survive, they can walk home.
and why after prison 3yrs of supervised probabtion??? they will never report in...send them back to mexico..
Love that they have the time and resources to worry about some canvas and paint. Not like there are any gang problems or drug traffickers out there.
Why did the woman get a lighter sentence. If I were the man I would appeal on basis of sex discrimination. Increase hers or decrease his.
this painting looks good for ...maybe lining a bird cage. stevie wonder could probably paint better.
I guess that I do not understand art. I would not give you $10 for that POS let alone $750,000.
My 4 year old grandson paints better than that.
Send them to venezuela, the victim of the crime
They should have gone to the insurance company that wrote the check to compensate the owner who had this painting stolen. They could have asked for a finders fee instead of trying to sell it. No crime in asking for a fee
bhavepeople, you are honest and correct that you do not understand art. It would have been nice if you had left it at that.
I can't imagine where you start when trying to fence something like rare art. You know you'll probably get busted.
Did it occur to anyone while reading this story that the lack of information leads people to only speculate that they aren't American citizens? They could very well be US residents who were keeping the painting in Mexico for a number of reasons... If they were truly smart they should have done the deal there though, it's obvious that they were waiting a while to pawn this off and took some risks to do so that ultimately ended up getting them caught.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and art is art even if it is ugly. This painting is art regardless of who painted it but it's ugly art and I wouldn't spend more than $5 on it whether it is from Matisse or first year art student. I personally have not seen a Picasso that I've liked. All his art is ugly. The value of an item doesn't make it look any better. I was fortunate to have seen Van Gogh, Cezanne and Pissaro exhibits. Their paintings were pleasant to look at would be nice to have (even if a repo) hanging on my walls. This stolen Matisse, I wouldn't want to even look at it let alone have it on my wall.
youdon'tknowjack, You are correct, we all came from an immigrant background (Native Americans Excluded of course) However, we have a procedure to get into this country. It may take months or even years to be accepted, but we as a nation cannot afford to simply "give" amnesty to the illegal immigrants in this country. On the other hand, because of our so called "Budget"...can we afford to ship them out?
I do not understand how illegals are given food stamps, etc... Do we even know the meaning of the word illegal anymore?
Why not deport her to Venezuela and let them pay for her jail time (it was bad enough that we paid to try them) AGAIN AMERICA BEING THE WORLD POLICE!
It depends upon whether she is simply on a visa here to the U.S. or is a U.S. resident. You forgot she has to serve 22 months in prison and then the supervised part starts. Likely she will be forced to stay in the U.S. after she is released from prison and if she is simply here on a visa or her illegally will be sent back to Mexico after completing all her sentence. Alfred Krupp Von Bolen un Holbach. That was the name of the last of the Krupp family in Germany to own the Krupp Works. Alfred his first name, Krupp his father, Von Bohlen grandfather and Hobach another grandfather. Mexicans do similiar naming and they took the European style of using both their father's last name and their mothers. Also, each child is given a name of a saint or of Mary the mother of Jesus or Joseph the father of Jesus. They then also have a middle name. My guess is that the man is likely Cuban or from somewhere else in the Caribe since he is living in Miami. He is a U.S. citizen. As to the quality of the painting. I haven't seen anyone commenting on the painting who is an art critic and is qualified to say anything. This is the first time I have ever heard of Mexicans being involved in the theft of paintings. Drug dealing and extortion are more their style. Maybe they have decided to get a little class.
obama is the reason why people dont have money...lolololol yet you can afford the internet, that much is clear to us...if people lost their home its because they took on a home and mortgage that was to big back in 07 when the big banks were handing out those utterly stupid home loans to people who couldnt afford it...i remember it so clear all my friends were moving into these upscale homes and im like how can you afford this working at best buy or georgia power when you make 12$ an hour...i was not one of those people who were fooled by this non-sense i saw it coming...now my friends are in apartments and you know what im in a house because i waited until i had the funds saved up for one...
tell me smart guys how much debt were we in when obama took office? as i remember the majority of the people of the US didnt want to go to war with IRAQ but BUSH said "HE TRYED TO KILL MY FATHER, HE TRYED TO KILL MY FATHER SON" all we wanted to do was go into AFGHANISTAN and get OSAMA BIN LADEN but we didnt get him there but were still in AFGHANISTAN butcause we cant pick up and leave or we might end up like the USSR...
what abhout the billions that the bush regime ran up on our defense budget, and spying on its own people...sure bush and his flunkies got paid but us the american people went broke...TEXACO and SHELL is still going strong from the oil they have graped in IRAQ but prices remain the same...OBAMA doesnt own either company but your republican buddies do...
as far as health care i need some being i havent been to a doctor since i was 18 im 27 now..i cant afford it, thank god im young black and have my health otherwise i would be typing this from the grave...you think a repub gives a damn if i get sick and need help...HELL NO their going to say pay up or sorry for you...i cant afford to get sick get a doctors bill and miss a payment on my home or miss a payment to the bank, then what will one of the super rich let me crash in one of the 15 rooms at their home i think not, not that i need it im a man and can fend for myself like just taking whats yours if push came to shove but what about the women and children of the country...
your hate for a black man in the office is so clear its like looking through a broken window