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| New York jailer admits role in stealing Dali painting from prison |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 09/06/2004 |
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A corrections officer pleaded guilty last Monday to playing a role in the theft of a Salvador Dali painting from Rikers Island jail in New York, prosecutors said. Under the terms of a plea agreement, Timothy Pina, 45, will be sentenced to five years probation and resign from the Department of Correction, Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said. Pina, a 16-year veteran, admitted he and three accomplices stole the painting, which was on display near the entrance of the jail, during a midnight fire drill March 1, 2003, Johnson said. The thieves replaced the painting with a fake but jail officials noticed it almost immediately. Pina and the three others were arrested three months later. The painting, valued at $250,000, has never been recovered and it is believed to have been destroyed. Dali gave the painting, a 1.5-metre-by-one-metre gouache, ink and pencil drawing depicting the crucifixion of Christ, to the jail in 1965. Former assistant deputy warden Mitchell Hochhauser pleaded guilty in June 2003 to the theft and is serving a three-year prison sentence. Another assistant deputy warden, Benny Nuzzo, was acquitted in June. A fourth corrections officer, Gregory Sokol, is awaiting trial. |
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