UK jails German art dealer over £1m theft

Pleads guilty to stealing more than £1m through fraudulent deals

Angela Gulbenkian was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court. Stephen Lock/The National

A German art dealer who used her husband's family name to steal from unsuspecting clients and fund an extravagant lifestyle was jailed in Britain on Thursday.

Angela Gulbenkian, 40, was sentenced to three and a half years after pleading guilty to stealing more than £1 million ($1.4m) through fraudulent art deals.

Southwark Crown Court in south London was told Gulbenkian, who married into a prominent arts family, used her social pedigree to convince victims to part with money.

She then splurged hundreds of thousands of pounds on travel and shopping sprees that included a £25,000 Rolex watch and charter of a private jet.

"Running through all of this criminality was a sustained obfuscation on your part," Judge David Tomlinson told her before passing sentence.

Gulbenkian's treatment of her victims had "prolonged the distress", he said.

The Munich socialite will only serve 18 months in jail, having already spent two years in custody after her arrest in Lisbon and extradition to Britain.

The court was told Gulbenkian brokered the sale of a sculpted spotted yellow pumpkin by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama to an arts company in Hong Kong.

But the object was never delivered after about £982,000 was transferred to her personal bank account.

She also stole £50,000 from a friend, promising to help invest the money in art but spending it on herself.

Mathieu Ticolat, one of the owners of Art Incorporated, which agreed to buy the pumpkin, said he had been put through "hell".

"I'm not a billionaire, I'm an arts adviser and I'm still trying to recover," Mr Ticolat said by video link from Hong Kong.

Gulbenkian's lawyer, David Groome, said a family rift had caused her home, which was owned by her father-in-law's gas and oil company, to be sold from under her.

"Overnight, Ms Gulbenkian became the family's only source of income," he said.

He said she had entered into the sale of the pumpkin with "honest intentions" but the temptation became too great.

Laura Hoon, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said Gulbenkian used "her status and powerful connections in the art dealing world" to appear legitimate.

"She stole thousands and concocted a web of lies for months on end," Ms Hoon said.