Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud in Sale of Courbet Painting to Bruce Springsteen's Manager
At 68 years old, Thomas Doyle from Connecticut admitted to committing wire fraud by selling a Gustave Courbet artwork without the owner's approval. The piece, titled Mother and Child on a Hammock (1844), was sold to Jon Landau, the manager of Bruce Springsteen, via Jill Newhouse Gallery for $125,000. The rightful owner, London dealer Patrick Matthiesen, never received any payment from the transaction. Doyle misappropriated the funds for his own expenses. He could face a maximum of 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for November 9. Matthiesen has initiated a civil lawsuit against Doyle, Jill Newhouse LLC, Landau, and Shalva Sarukhanishvili.
Key facts
- Thomas Doyle pleaded guilty to wire fraud on March 28, 2025.
- The painting is Gustave Courbet's Mother and Child on a Hammock (1844).
- The painting was sold to Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen's manager, for $125,000.
- The owner, Patrick Matthiesen, never received payment.
- Doyle had prior art fraud convictions, including a 2007 theft of an Edgar Degas.
- Doyle agreed to pay $125,000 in restitution and forfeit earnings.
- Maximum sentence is 20 years; sentencing is November 9, 2025.
- Matthiesen filed a civil lawsuit against Doyle, Sarukhanishvili, Jill Newhouse LLC, and Landau.
Entities
Artists
- Gustave Courbet
- Victor Hugo
- Virginie Binet
Institutions
- Jill Newhouse Gallery
- Matthiesen Fine Art Ltd
- Nicholas Hall Gallery
- TEFAF Maastricht
- U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
- Shalva Sarukhanishvili Fine Art, Inc.
- Justia
- U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
- Federal District Court in Manhattan
Locations
- Connecticut
- New York
- London
- Maastricht
- Manhattan