Scottsdale Man Sentenced 5 Years for $250K Art Theft Including Picasso, Warhol

Harpreet Singh, a 33-year-old man, was sentenced to five years in prison for stealing $250,000 worth of artwork, including pieces by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, from the American Fine Art Gallery in Scottsdale in January 2024. Scottsdale police responded to an alarm triggered during the theft and found Singh's vehicle parked beneath an emergency access ladder, later locating him hiding on the roof of a nearby building with scattered art pieces and tools nearby. Singh pleaded guilty to felony theft and an additional charge of interference with monitoring devices after cutting off his ankle monitor post-release, resulting in 3.5 years of supervised probation. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell emphasized the serious consequences of art thefts in the county, noting that such crimes lead to prison sentences rather than glamorous getaways. Prosecutors credited the swift response of Scottsdale police and their team for securing the conviction. Singh’s sentence means he will be confined for years, facing the stark reality of prison rather than the art he tried to steal.