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Pair sentenced in sale of stolen Matisse

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Two people convicted in the attempted sale of a stolen Henri Matisse painting in Miami Beach will serve less than three years in prison, federal officials say.

Pedro Antonio Marcuello Guzman, 46, of Miami, and Maria Martha Elisa Ornelas Lazo, 50, of Mexico City pleaded guilty in October to attempting to sell "Odalisque in Red Pants" to undercover FBI agents in July, WTVJ-TV, Miami, reported Wednesday.

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Marcuello was sentenced to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release and Ornelas received 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Steinbach said in a statement.

Marcuello negotiated with FBI agents working undercover to sell the painting for about $740,000 and Ornelas transported the artwork from Mexico City to Miami where the transaction was to take place, the statement said.

The painting was stolen in 2002 from the Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art in Venezuela.

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