A museum worker in Germany replaced a painting with a fake - and profited from the original (4 photos)

A museum employee in Germany pulled off a scam almost like in a Hollywood blockbuster. A 30-year-old man working at the Deutsches Museum in Munich replaced one of the paintings with a fake. But this is not all the deeds of the would-be fraudster.





A 30-year-old employee of the German Museum (Deutsches Museum) in Munich replaced one of the museum paintings with a fake and decided to sell the original. With the money he received, he purchased luxury items, including a Rolls Royce car and expensive watches. As is known, the employee held the position of collection manager at the museum. It replaced one of the museum's most valuable paintings, Franz von Stuck's The Tale of the Frog Prince. The fraudster then lied to the Munich auction house, claiming that the painting had once belonged to his grandparents.



The stolen masterpiece was put up for auction, where the painting went under the hammer for 70 thousand euros. After deducting auction fees, the man received about 50 thousand euros, but it was not enough for him. He stole three more paintings. Two of them, "Taste of Wine" by Eduard von Grützner and "Two Girls in the Mountains" by Franz von Defregger, were sold at auction for 11,490 euros. After this, the man paid off his debts and bought luxury goods.



"The Tale of the Frog Prince", Franz von Stuck

However, everything secret becomes clear. The men learned about the crimes, and he appeared in court. At the trial, the museum employee admitted to fraud, expressed remorse, and received a 21-month suspended sentence. In addition, he was ordered to pay the museum more than 60,600 euros. According to the court, the man admitted that he “acted thoughtlessly and cannot explain his behavior.” The German museum, meanwhile, is actively trying to return the stolen works of art to their rightful place. One of the paintings is already in the possession of the police.