The widow, Genevieve Bogucci, became skeptical when mediators charged her the equivalent of $1 million from Brazil for pacification services, and turned to her daughter for advice, according to Corio Brasiliens.
The newspaper reported that her mother asked her mother to pay them immediately.
Over the next two weeks, the 82-year-old followed that advice by shelling out about $970,000 for “spiritual therapy” at the start of what police in Brazil allege was a multimillion-dollar scam spearheaded by the same daughter whose advisor Bogeshi trusted. Rather than honor that trust, police said the daughter for years orchestrated a group of alleged middlemen to swindle around $140 million in fine art, jewelry, and money from her mother.
Police in Rio de Janeiro tasked with handling elder abuse cases said on Wednesday they had arrested four members of the gang who assaulted Bogucci. a permit. according to ReutersAmong those arrested is the daughter, and they face charges of embezzlement, theft, extortion, false imprisonment and forming criminal associations.
In total, the police believe that at least six people were involved, which means that the investigation is ongoing.
The scam began on that day in January 2020 when 48-year-old Sabine Bogci allegedly provided inside information to brokers she had sent to meet her mother, intelligence they were going to use to gain her trust.
After hooking up with her mother, Sabine and her partners allegedly spent months maintaining the ruse to get the woman out of money, jewelry, and artwork. In one part of the charade, Sabine and her partner disguised as a psychic “began to take the artwork from [mother’s] house, alleging that the painting was cursed by something negative, with negative energy that must be prayed for,” said Rio de Janeiro police officer Gilberto Ribeiro. Reuters.
Then it was alleged that Sabine fired her mother’s domestic workers so that her partners could enter the house and take the artwork unhindered, Associated Press mentioned. When her mother at one point refused to continue making the cash payments, Sabine allegedly took her cell phone, stopped feeding her, and threatened her with a knife, according to Curio Brazilians.
Over the course of the scam, the suspects were accused of stealing 16 pieces of art, including museum-quality paintings by Brazilian masters Tarsila do Amaral and Emiliano de Cavalcante, according to the Associated Press. Three of the stolen works—”oh sono“Sol Pointyand ‘Pont Neuf’ – drawn by Amaral, and described Museum of Modern Art as a “bold modernist” with a “distinctive style of sensual, vibrant landscapes and everyday scenes.”
Reuters reported that during a raid on the home of an alleged middleman, police found 11 paintings under a bed. At the bottom of the pile, they discovered “Sol Puente,” which investigators said was worth about $48.5 million.
Police captured a video the moment the officer spotted the work, according to the Associated Press.
“Wow! Look who’s here!” The officer shouted as she removed the bubble wrap from the plate. “Oh, a little beauty. Kudos!”
The painting is a lush depiction of unknown mammals wading in blue waters. Behind them is a green tree, a green hill, and some green cacti. Behind it all, a bright radiant sun rippled throughout and dominates the background.
The title of the multi-million dollar masterpiece – allegedly stolen and stashed away only to be discovered at the ill-fitting end of an unbreakable artistic plot – translates to “Sunset”.
Maria Luisa Bale contributed to this report.
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