Auction house porters on trail in Paris
Print Edition
PORTERS from Paris’s most famous auction house went on trial yesterday, accused of systematically stealing 250 tons of valuable antiques, jewels and artworks, including a Chagall painting and rare Ming dynasty porcelain.
About 40 “Col Rouge” (red collars), named after their uniforms, and six auctioneers from the Hotel Drouot auction house are on trial for charges of gang-related theft, conspiracy to commit a crime or handling stolen goods. The case against the employees was launched in 2009 after an anonymous tip alerted investigators to a Gustave Courbet painting that disappeared while being transported in 2003.
Investigators allege institutionalized theft by the porters — known as “Les Savoyards” — as all members of the secretive group came from the Alpine region of Savoie.
Raids uncovered a mountain of missing treasures, including precious jewels and antique furniture — and the lavish lifestyle of the porters.
One apparently drove a Porsche 911 and the latest BMW cabriolet, while another allegedly bought a Paris bar with the fruits if his spoils.
The porters are accused of pilfering objects sent by the auction house to clear the homes of wealthy people after their deaths, taking items that weren’t listed in the inventory.
According to the prosecution, the practice — known as “la yape” which means “theft” in Savoie slang — was endemic and profits were shared.
Several dozen victims of the alleged scam are seeking damages, including the Hotel Drouot, which no longer uses the porters’ services.
“The thefts ... on such a large scale have shamed the institution,” said the auction house’s lawyer Karim Beylouni.
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