[CPProt.net] Getty Trust failed to disclose documents in Italian probe

[Ellie Bruggeman]

Report: Getty Trust failed to disclose documents in Italian probe

LOS ANGELES - The J. Paul Getty Trust failed to disclose letters and 
photographs that show its chief antiquities curator had close ties to 
dealers suspected of selling art embezzled from Italy, according to a 
published report Friday.

The curator, Marion True, is facing trial in Rome in November on charges 
of buying stolen Italian artifacts. Officials at the Getty have defended 
True's work, saying they found no evidence of wrongdoing and insisting 
they have provided relevant documents to the prosecution in Rome.

An internal review of Getty files, however, has uncovered correspondence 
from the suspect dealers and Polaroid pictures of the artifacts, 
according to a confidential memo written in 2001 and obtained by The Los 
Angeles Times.

The memo's author, lawyer Richard Martin, advised Getty chief executive 
Barry Munitz that the trust was not required to turn over the documents 
because the Italian authorities had not asked for them, the Times reported.

The letters in question were written by True and two antiquities dealers 
and co-defendants: Robert E. Hecht Jr., an American expatriate living in 
Paris, and Giacomo Medici, an Italian dealer specializing in ancient vases.

Medici was convicted in December and sentenced to 10 years in prison for 
selling looted art.

The letters showed that the dealers were offering treasures that 
appeared to come from illegal excavations and some of the Polaroids 
showed artifacts that have been posted on the Web site of the Italian 
paramilitary police, which described them as "looted."

"We should point out that, while these letters are troublesome, none of 
them amounts to proof of Dr. True's knowledge that a particular item was 
illegally excavated or demonstrates her intent to join the conspiracy," 
according to the memo.

Martin continued: "It is obvious we should not offer to produce what has 
not been asked for."

The memo also mentioned that if Getty cooperated with Italian 
authorities, it could avoid being subpoenaed by U.S. authorities.

"Such a subpoena, prepared by a competent U.S. Attorney's Office, would 
almost certainly be more detailed and specific than the prosecutor's 
requests, and could well require the production of documents which we 
would rather not provide," Martin wrote.

Italian prosecutors allege that True participated in an extensive trade 
in archaeological treasures excavated in Italy and sold by art dealers 
operating in Switzerland to prestigious museums in the United States and 
elsewhere in Europe. They say True knowingly obtained around 30 stolen 
artifacts, some of which passed through Medici's hands, after becoming 
curator in the mid-1980s.

In 1999, the Getty returned some ancient works, including an illegally 
excavated kylix, to Italy after determining they were stolen. Some of 
the art had been placed in the collection before True began working as a 
curator.

Italian prosecutor Paolo Ferri told the Times that he has not seen the 
latest letters and photos despite asking Martin for all documents 
relating to True's relationship with the dealers.

"It is very surprising to me that they didn't give me these very 
important documents," Ferri said.

Getty board chairman John Biggs told the newspaper that he has seen 
relevant documents from the internal review and that "there's no merit 
to what you're trying to write a story about."

But two other board members, Barbara Fleischman and Ramon Cortines, who 
were unaware of the letters and photos, said board members should have 
been notified about the results of the internal review.

I'm shocked," Fleischman said. "My knowledge is that full cooperation 
has been given to the Italians."

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