Brian Alec Light has agreed to plead guilty to trafficking a stolen Andy Warhol screenprint of Vladimir Lenin, valued at more than $175,000. The rare 1987 trial proof, part of a limited edition of 46, was set to be auctioned before being identified as stolen.
According to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Light will plead guilty to interstate transportation of stolen goods, a charge carrying a maximum sentence of ten years. Light has also agreed to forfeit the artwork, which has been recovered.
The stolen Warhol print is considered especially valuable because it is a trial proof—an early version made before the final edition. Such proofs are often more coveted by collectors. “Each one is unique, making them more one-of-a-kind,” said Phil Selway, CEO of Hamilton Selway Gallery, who flagged the print as stolen when it appeared in an auction listing.
Ron Rivlin, owner of Revolver Gallery in West Hollywood, said a regular black-and-white Warhol print of Lenin typically fetches $100,000 to $125,000. However, trial proofs, which are rarer, can command significantly more. “We’ve sold two Lenin trial proofs in the last five years, both around $175,000,” Rivlin told ARTnews.
The theft occurred in February 2021, when the Warhol print was stolen from a home in Los Angeles. Afterward, the artwork was sold to a pawn shop owner, identified in court documents as “G.B.,” who enlisted Light to sell it. Light contacted an auction house in Los Angeles, with plans for the artwork to be transported to Dallas for evaluation and sale.
Light signed a consignment agreement with the auction house, referred to in court documents as “H.A.,” on March 2, 2021, for inclusion in the April “Print & Multiples Signature Auction.” However, Hamilton Selway, which originally sold the artwork, identified it in the auction listing and alerted the FBI.
As part of the investigation, Light provided a fake receipt, claiming he had bought the Warhol print for $18,000 at a garage sale. Light admitted to fabricating the receipt in an attempt to deceive federal agents.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team, which led the investigation, has been involved in recovering the stolen artwork. Light is scheduled to appear in federal court on October 28, where he will face sentencing for his involvement in the case. With this plea agreement, he avoids trial but faces up to ten years in prison.
