Arizona art thief who was caught 'mid-heist' is sentenced to five years

A thief who was arrested on the roof of an art gallery in Scottsdale, Ariz., has been sentenced to five years in prison for stealing seven artworks, including three Picassos and two Warhols, worth a quarter of a million dollars.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that Harpreet Singh, aged 33, pleaded guilty to one count of theft.

“Art heists may seem glamorous in the movies, but in Maricopa County, they end with a prison sentence instead of a dramatic getaway,” Mitchell said. “Thanks to the quick response from Scottsdale Police and MCAO prosecutors Richelle Burch and Jonathan Hutcheson, the only art this thief will be looking at for the next few years will be whatever’s etched on the walls of his cell.”

According to a release from the Attorney’s office and police reports, the theft occurred in the early hours of Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. The owner of American Fine Art Gallery arrived and noticed several paintings missing as well as noises from the floor above, and called police.

Scottsdale Police arrived and found Singh’s BMW parked directly below an emergency access ladder leading to the roof. Atop the gallery, they found art pieces scattered around, along with a face mask, gloves and several tools.

With the help of a drone, they were able to spot Singh lying on the roof of another gallery nearby, where he was arrested. He told police he was homeless and came up to the roof to sleep, and denied owning a BMW. Police found the keys for the car next to him.

On January 7th, officers responded to an art gallery where an alarm was activated, with a possible subject still inside. Using the drone, the suspect was located and placed under arrest by Scottsdale PD. Art valued at around $250,000 was scattered throughout the rooftops. pic.twitter.com/NUabYQBr3k

— ScottsdalePD (@ScottsdalePD) January 11, 2024

After his arrest, Singh was released on $50,000 bail and ordered to wear and ankle monitor and not to leave Arizona, but court records say the monitor was found in a trash bin on March 6. Meanwhile, Singh didn’t show up for hearings in April or May, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was taken into custody again in Nevada.

Singh has also pleaded guilty to one count of interference with monitoring devices for cutting off his ankle monitor. He was given 3.5 years of supervised probation for that offence.

Meanwhile, ABC News reported that Singh had been arrested less than a month earlier on a separate art theft in West Hollywood, Calif. He had been charged with breaking into the Hamilton-Selway Fine Art gallery on Dec. 22 and stealing two Warhol edition prints valued at nearly $100,000.

Less than a week later, detectives arrested Singh outside another art gallery in West Hollywood. He was allegedly carrying one of the stolen Warhol prints; the other was found in his car.

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