Beckley man enters guilty plea in Boston federal court for art fraud

A Beckley man pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Boston for fraud related to stolen paintings.

Todd Andrew Desper, also known as "Mordokwan," 48, pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud and attempted wire fraud. He admitted he tried to sell paintings on Craigslist that were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990.

Desper was arrested in West Virginia and charged in a criminal complaint in May 2017.

Desper, acting under the pseudonym "Mordokwan," solicited foreign buyers for both the Storm on the Sea of Galilee and Vermeer's The Concert on Craigslist in a number of foreign cities including Venice and London. Desper directed interested buyers to create an encrypted email account to communicate with him.

Authorities were notified of the foreign Craigslist notices by individuals seeking to assist in the recovery of the artwork, as well as those seeking the multi-million dollar reward offered by the museum.

Read more: http://www.register-herald.com/news/crime/beckley-man-enters-guilty-plea-in-boston-federal-court-for/article_7c84df01-280e-5a0d-a7f9-d9a23b540d9b.html