$139 Million STOLEN in Nasty Con Job
(TheRedWire.com) – On Wednesday, August 10, police in Rio de Janeiro began looking for suspects accused of stealing artwork valued at $139 million from an 82-year-old widow. Authorities said it was a strange inside con job by the older woman’s daughter.
Police refused to name the suspect or the victim. Typically, thieves steal expensive and rare paintings as a heist. Not in this case. The victim held mystic beliefs, and the crime spree began by taking advantage of the older woman’s fears.
Woman swindles mother out of $139 million in art masterpieces in bizarre con involving a "psychic," police say https://t.co/4BHIBhpuXs
— WZMQ 19 News (@wzmq19) August 11, 2022
They said in January 2020, the woman’s daughter allegedly paid a psychic to convince the widow her younger child would die due to an illness. The seer convinced the mother to pay large amounts of money to heal her adult child spiritually. The woman pleaded with her mom, who complied.
Next, the daughter fired the domestic help, allowing her other accomplices to enter the home and begin stealing valuable paintings. In the meantime, her mother continued making payments to save her adult offspring from illness.
On Wednesday, police arrested the younger woman. They recovered some artwork from under a bed and in other locations within her residence. The authorities also located other pieces in various art galleries and museums. Officers returned the masterpieces to the rightful owner.
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