It took months for anyone to notice that 3 million dollars worth of sculptures and upside-down paintings were missing from a storage depot near Munich. Then it took months of undercover police work, before 3 men were arrested accused of stealing 19 pieces of art, owned by German Neo-Expressionist Georg Baselitz, whose 1965 painting “With Red Flag” went for almost $10-million dollars at auction in London.
Prosecutors says they believe a 39-year-old man used insider knowledge to steal the 19 pieces of art and then passed them on to a father and son, who attempted to sell them for well below market value. That’s when an insurance company became suspicious and informed police.
So far they’ve recovered 15 of the 19 missing works