Fraudster Brugnara Claims He Will "Perish" in Jail, Files Motion for Acquittal
- July 22, 2015 11:52
San Francisco-based convicted swindler Luke Brugnara, who is serving time for fraud, wants to fire his laywers, get bail to recuperate, and hire new counsel.
Brugnara is under federal prosecution for taking and not paying for $11 million in fine art, including a $2 million Degas bronze that remains missing, from New York art dealer Rose Long last year.
"I cannot sit on a cement floor, 24/7, two feet square in an 8'x6' cell with no fresh air, stuffy, no exercise, much longer," Brugnara wrote in an emergency motion for new counsel. "I simply will perish as a human being."
His lawyers filed a motion Monday for acquittal on two counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, one count of making false declarations to the court, citing insufficient evidence. They contend that the still-missing Degas sculpture that 51-year-old Brugnara acquired from Long was sent to him "without so much as a deposit, contract, or escrow arrangement to insure payment." Other artworks have been recovered.
In May, a jury found Brugnara guilty of the fraud counts, along with escape from custody and contempt. He is set to be sentenced in September.
Read more at Courthouse News Service
