The man from Ontario who admitted to stealing a famous portrait of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill from Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier is set to receive his sentencing today in court.
Earlier this year, Jeffrey Wood pleaded guilty to the theft of the portrait and to the act of forgery by creating a false document.
In 1941, the renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh captured the iconic portrait in the Speaker’s office following Churchill’s powerful wartime speech to Canadian legislators.
Authorities reported that the portrait was taken from the hotel sometime between December 25, 2021, and January 6, 2022, and substituted with a counterfeit version.
The art swap was only detected several months later in August when a hotel employee noticed the frame was improperly hung.
After a lengthy international inquiry, the portrait was returned to the hotel, with investigators discovering that it had been purchased at an auction in London by an unwitting Italian buyer.
