Inside ICE: Volume 2, Issue 19

ICE Helps Recover Masterpieces

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Special agents from ICE, working for years in an international joint operation, have assisted in the recovery of major works of art that were stolen five years ago from a waterfront museum in Stockholm, Sweden.

In addition, four suspects have been arrested in connection with the case. Those arrested have been identified as Dieya Kadhum, Baha Kadhum, Alexander Lindgren, and James Fowler, all of whom reside in Stockholm, Sweden. Prosecutors in Sweden and Los Angeles will work in consultation to determine where criminal charges should most appropriately be filed.

On December 23, 2000 three armed bandits brandishing machine guns robbed the Swedish National Museum in Stockholm, Sweden, of three paintings: Auguste Renoir's "Young Parisian," "Conversation" and Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn's "Self Portrait" (c.1630).

The robbers escaped with the paintings on a boat moored near the museum while employing distracting tactics, including tire spikes and diversionary car bombs in other parts of the city.

The investigation into that crime was a joint effort by members of the Organized Crime Task Force in Los Angeles (ICE, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles), law enforcement authorities in Sweden and Denmark and the ICE and FBI Attachés in Copenhagen, Denmark. The investigation also benefited from the considerable and knowledgeable assistance of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Members of the task force, including ICE, launched an operation targeting the international theft ring responsible for the robbery. During the course of the investigation, the investigators worked closely with law enforcement overseas, including the Copenhagen City Police (CCP), the Danish National Police (DNP), and the Stockholm County Police (SCP).

The task force investigation was triggered when a Los Angeles investigation into a local criminal enterprise led to the identification of an organized theft group in Sweden. Subsequently, the U.S. task force worked jointly with the CCP, DNP, and the SCP to coordinate efforts that resulted in an undercover sting operation.

Information developed by the U.S. task force indicated that the suspects arrested in the sting were attempting to sell the stolen painting in Los Angeles and Sweden. The task force was able to introduce a FBI undercover agent with substantial knowledge of art to pose as the buyer/broker for the stolen Rembrandt.

On September 14 and 15 the undercover agent met with suspects in Copenhagen, Denmark to negotiate the purchase of the stolen Rembrandt painting. The suspects brought the painting to a Copenhagen hotel expecting to sell the painting for a large sum of money.

Upon authentication of the painting by the undercover agent, the CCP and the DNP arrested the four suspects and seized the Rembrandt painting. Renoir's "Young Parisian" was recovered in Los Angeles earlier this year and authenticated by the Curator of the Getty Museum. Rembrandt's "Self Portrait" was recovered within the past few days. The SCP had previously recovered Renoir's "Conversation" in July of 2001.

Swedish authorities place the combined estimated value of the recovered paintings at approximately $45 million. Apart from the high monetary value of the recovered works, the paintings are also national treasures of Sweden. “This case is a testament to the power of multi-agency cooperation and tenacious police work. From the discovery of the initial lead to the recovery of the second painting earlier this week, the officers in this case logged hundreds of hours and crisscrossed two continents,” said Loraine Brown, ICE Special Agent-in-Charge in Los Angeles. “And because of those efforts, art lovers around the world will again be able to enjoy these masterpieces for generations.”

The investigation is continuing in Los Angeles and overseas.

Back to Top

ICE Helps Recover Masterpieces

ICE Nabs Three At Nuke Plant

ICE Response To Katrina Unprecedented

ICE Deports Bank Robber To Eritrea

ICE, Brazilians Break Human Smuggling Ring

Senate Witness on Hawalas Sentenced for Running One

Federal Grand Jury Indicts 12 for Marriage Scam, Smuggling

ICE, CBP Donate Seized Clothes to Hurricane Katrina Victims

Special Response

Receive the latest ICE newsletter twice a month right to your inbox. Simply enter your information below.

Inside ICE is an e-newsletter produced by the ICE Office of Public Affairs to inform the public about the mission, operations and activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Please send comments and contributions to Russ Bergeron, Editor.

425 I St NW
Washington, D.C. 20536
Attn: Office of Public Affairs
Russ Bergeron, Editor
Phone: 202-514-2648
Fax: 202-514-1776
Russ.Bergeron@dhs.gov