http://cbs3.com/wireapnewspa/Cops.Son.of.2.1362516.html

Dec 10, 2009 5:05 pm US/Eastern
Pa. Police: Artist's Son Swipes $20M In Paintings
MICHAEL RUBINKAM, Associated Press Writer
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) ― A Pennsylvania man used a backhoe to break into a museum owned by his father — the pioneering fantasy artist Frank Frazetta — in an attempt to steal 90 paintings valued at $20 million, police said Thursday.

State police charged Alfonso Frank Frazetta, 52, of Marshalls Creek, with theft, burglary and trespass after they say he was caught loading the artwork into his trailer and SUV.

The elder Frazetta, 81, is renowned for his work on characters including Conan the Barbarian, Tarzan and Vampirella. He was in Florida at the time of the theft.

His son's motive may stem from a family feud over the master illustrator's assets, according to a law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity because it is still early in the investigation.

Frazetta was arraigned and sent to the Monroe County jail. Bail was set at $500,000. Officials didn't know whether he had a lawyer yet.

Police said that Frazetta and another man used the backhoe to enter the Frazetta Art Museum in the Pocono Mountains region on Wednesday afternoon, tripping a burglar alarm.

A trooper who responded said Frazetta claimed he had been instructed by his father "to enter the museum by any means necessary to move all the paintings to a storage facility," according a police affidavit.

The elder Frazetta told police that his son did not have permission to enter the museum or to remove any artwork. Frank Frazetta's attorney, Gerard Geiger, said the stolen paintings were insured for $20 million, according to court documents.

Geiger did not immediately return a phone message Thursday.

Police say charges are pending against a second suspect.

I just read Heidi reporting about this on The Beat. She added this.

.

Please let it be Wil Wheaton, please let it be Wil Wheaton...

That's just plain bizarre. Whoever heard of an art heist involving earthmovers?

I can't wait until the shocking reveal.

Wow. Sad story.

Yeah, that's pretty sad.

He had to have known there was an alarm. The guy must be pretty dumb to think he wouldn't get caught by busting in with a backhoe. What a shitty thing to do to your dad.

No, no, no. Please let it be Vallejo.

But yeah, this is just awful. Just a few months since Mrs. Frazetta passed away.

Really a shame. Love Frazetta's work.

Now I'm really wondering who the other accomplice was!

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.d ... 91/-1/News

The two men accompanying Frank Jr. were identified as Frank Bush, 49, and Kevin Clement, 54

Not the defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans. The ages don't match up.

some more info from the collectors boards, i dont jnow how true this fellas version is


Registered: 04/27/07
Posts: 2090
Loc: Long Island New York In my humble opinion this is a sad event.............

I have been quiet about this but I cannot keep my silence any longer.

I cannot say what is true and what is false, however I feel it is IMPORTANT to put Frank Frazetta Jr.'s side of the story out there.........or at least what info I know.


-I spoke with Frank Jr. after Mrs. Frazetta passed away.

-He asked me to write a letter stating what type of business I had done with him, and to explain in detail how he had been managing the museum/ Frazetta business. Which HE had been doing, NOT his siblings. (For his lawsuit)

-He was extremely upset because he said after his Mother passed away all of his siblings turned on him and wanted to push him out of the family, stating that he was a drug addict who did not have the best intentions for their father.

-He said that his father was very unstable now. (dementia)

-He said that they tricked his dad into signing a new power of attorney.

-He said that this feud happened because his family was greedy and wanted more of the $$ for themselves.

-He said that then with power of attorney, his family hired "some guys" to sell the artwork. And that they intended to sell everything, including what was in the museum........He was extremely concerned, sad and upset about all of this.



In my opinion Frank Jr. was trying to save the artwork. Prior to this year supposedly the only people who could sell a Frazetta were Mrs. Frazetta and Frank Jr (not any more w/ new power of attorney)..........this is really sad because I bet that they will sell all of the art and just put up reprints in the museum..............wow this really sucks............wow

I am not saying Frank Jr. has a perfect past, but I am saying that he played a major role in taking care of the museum and his dad. I also feel that he would NOT sell these paintings because they are more important to him than anything. I would not be surprised to see if the "new" estate reps were planning on making a major sale or something and Frank Jr. was trying to "save" the pieces."

mike kaluta posted this
I got a bit more info from someone On The Ground... there'll be more
"news" pretty damn quick, apparently. If any of what I just heard is
true (and I know my correspondent is a straight shooter), Frank Jr
does have permission for what he did, signed by his dad and himself,
notarized, and what he was doing is attempting to legally save the
art from the rest of the family who want to sell it off.

Whether this it "true" with a capital "T", time will have to tell.

Elie's will has been "lost", Frank is still the owner, but the other
three kids are going to say he's not competent, etc... a real can of
worms. Frank has his "bad" days and his "lucid" days.

Here's hoping something can be kept for Frank and that what appears
to be a family going down in flames can be salvaged.

Michael

Wow. Pretty crazy.

And I was hoping Bakshi was the secret accomplice!

Either way, a fucked up situation. Poor Frank.

Thread title renamed in light of new information.

Wow!

Yeah, Heidi MacDonald promised a "Tiger Woods" sized scandal. I was expecting Joe Quesada or Mark Waid.

The whole story is very sad. It makes my stomach hurt to think of Frank Frazetta as a sick old man, being picked apart like garbage by his family. Reading he has dementia brought a tear to my eye.

Has anyone read the Frazetta interview in Comics Journal #174? He was 65, and bragged about how he was a greater athlete than anyone a third of his age, he practiced martial arts, and his "ki" was incredible, he was routinely mistaken for a man in his thirties. The man was a force of nature.

Frazetta seemed to like to stretch the truth a bit when it came to his abilities. Odd, given the amount of real talent that he has.