Feds capture alleged art scammer who escaped during furlough for lawyer meeting
An accused art scammer is back in custody after escaping during a pretrial furlough last Thursday to meet with his lawyer.
The defendant, Luke Brugnara, 51, was arrested on Wednesday as he was leaving an apartment complex in Los Gatos, report the Recorder (sub. req.) and the San Francisco Chronicle.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup had approved the furlough, which allowed Brugnara to dress in street clothes while meeting with Oakland lawyer Erik Babcock in the attorney lounge at the San Francisco federal building.
Brugnara is accused of agreeing to pay about $11 million for several artworks, then refusing to pay after he accepted delivery. Police recovered art shipped in four crates, but did not find the fifth, according to a June 2014 FBI press release.
