SEATTLE, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- A former Seattle art gallery owner accused of stealing art worth hundreds of thousands of dollars has pleaded guilty to nine counts of first-degree theft.
Kurt Lidtke, 41, could be sentenced to between 33 months and 43 months in prison when he returns to King County Superior Court Sept. 28, The Seattle Times reported Thursday. He originally was charged with 20 counts, but some were dropped in exchange for his plea.
Lidtke failed to pay owners for more than $340,000 worth of art that he had sold on consignment, court records said.
Among the artwork he pleaded guilty to stealing was Morris Graves' "Bird on a Rock" and "Chalicas"; Mark Tobey's "City Reflections" and "Above the Earth V"; George Tsutakawa's "Summer Field" and Jay Steensma's "Bird Drinking Moonlight."
Attorney John Henry Browne said his client was going through a difficult time when the thefts occurred and is committed to making restitution. The plea bargain, Browne said "brings a closure to a really difficult time in Kurt's life."
