Convicted Art Thief Drives Stolen Car to Seek Pardon From Past AG: Police

Marcus Patmon had previously stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of artwork, including Pablo Picasso etchings

A convicted art thief recently drove from Florida all the way to Virginia in hopes of receiving a presidential pardon for the past crime. But what he got, instead, was a new charge for driving a stolen vehicle, according to authorities.

Marcus Patmon, 45, of Miami, found himself back in custody Sunday after parking his car in Arlington, Virginia. Police said one of their license plate scanners had detected the vehicle had been reported stolen. 

Patmon was there to “meet with Eric Holder,” according to police spokeswoman Ashley Savage. She told NBC Washington Patmon wanted Holder and the Obama administration to pardon him before Donald Trump took office. However, Holder isn’t the U.S. attorney general anymore; Loretta Lynch has held that position since April 2015. 

Patmon made the trip because he wanted to get a clean record. In 2009 he admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of artwork — including Pablo Picasso pieces.

According to federal documents, after stealing the Picasso etchings, he tried to sell them to an art dealer in California, NBC News reported. Patmon pleaded guilty to wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property for trafficking in the Picasso etchings and a Marc Chagall lithograph. He spent almost two years in jail before being released in 2012, according to federal records.

Much of his court record remains sealed, but according to prosecutors, Patmon had been inspired to steal and resell art by an episode of the PBS series "Antiques Roadshow," NBC News reported. He hoped the money would afford him the lifestyle he was used to before he was convicted of assault in 2001.

No attorney of record was listed for Patmon. 

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