Art World Celebrity Superthief Gets Six Years in Slammer
Lawrence Salander, the former prominent Manhattan art dealer arrested last year for stealing more than $100 million from his clients, has been sentenced to 6 to 18 years in prison. He ripped off John McEnroe, Robert Deniro, and many others.
Salander stole two paintings by Robert Deniro's father, sold them, and pocketed the money. He swindled McEnroe out of $2 million in fraudulent art investment deals. And he was just as bad to non-famous clients; the NYT reports what one, Ellyn Shander, described what Salander (who she said was "like a dad" to her) did after her father's death:
After her father's burial a few years ago, Ms. Shander said, Mr. Salander came over to his apartment that very day to pick up her father's art collection. Mr. Salander was supposed to hold on to the collection, which included works by Picasso, Monet and Cézanne, Ms. Shander said. But he ended up selling many of the pieces without permission and keeping the money for himself, she said.
That's mean.
[Pic: AP]