FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the arrest and the filing of criminal charges against Pedro Guzman, of Miami, Florida, and Maria Martha Elisa Ornelas Lazo, of Mexico City, for transporting and possessing what is believed to be an original Henri Matisse painting.
The painting “Odalisque in Red Pants” was reported stolen from the Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art (Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Caracas) in Caracas, Venezuela, in December 2002 and it is valued at approximately $3 million.
Marcuello offered the undercover agents during a meeting to sell the stolen painting for approximately $740,000. As part of the negotiations, Marcuello further agreed to have the painting transported by courier to the United States from Mexico.
Image: artdaily.org
