Prosecutors: Picasso Painting Was Stolen In France, Smuggled Into U.S. As 'Toy'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Picasso painting worth millions of dollars was stolen in France, and smuggled into the U.S. by someone who falsely labeled it as an "art craft" when it was shipped, authorities said Thursday.
Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch filed a civil forfeiture complaint Thursday over Pablo Picasso's 1911 cubist painting called "The Hairdresser."
Authorities said the 1911 painting disappeared from a storeroom at the Pompidou Centre in Paris. It was reported stolen in November 2001.
The painting's location remained unknown until it arrived in the United States in December 2014. Lynch says the shipping label described the contents as an ``art craft/toy'' worth about $37.
There was no information on whether anyone had been arrested in connection to the shipment.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)