Italian Man Unwittingly Paid $5,300 for Stolen Churchill Photo Worth Millions

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Three people stand beside a framed portrait on an easel. Behind them are large flags of Canada and Italy. They are in a room with a stone fireplace, and the atmosphere appears formal.

New details have emerged in the saga of the iconic portrait of Winston Churchill that was stolen from a Canadian hotel and replaced with a fake before being recovered in Italy over two years later. It turns out an Italian lawyer paid £4,200 (~$5,300) for it at an auction, believing it to be a cheap copy.

The international mystery first began back in August 2022 after the Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa, Canada, discovered that its famous “Roaring Lion” portrait of Winston Churchill (possibly worth millions) had been removed from the hotel’s Reading Lounge and replaced with a counterfeit.

A distinguished man in a suit poses with a serious expression. He leans on a chair against a wooden paneled background, wearing a bow tie and vest.

An elegant interior with wooden paneling and plush seating is shown on the left. On the right is a framed document on a wooden wall. The lighting is warm, highlighting the classic decor and intricate details.

An Iconic Print Sold for £4,200 at Auction

Little did the hotel know that a few months earlier, in May 2022, 34-year-old Italian lawyer Nicola Cassinelli had been browsing Sotheby’s online catalog to purchase some fine art for his Genoa, Italy, apartment when he came across a signed “Roaring Lion” print.

Thinking the print was just a signed but cheap copy of the famous photo, Cassinelli placed a bid of £4,200. To his astonishment, that turned out to be the winning bid, and two weeks later the print was hanging on the wall of his home.

“It immediately grabbed my attention, not just for its beauty but because I am fascinated with the figure of Winston Churchill,” Cassinelli tells The Telegraph. “This was the emblematic photo that captured his anger, the strength of the free world – good that triumphs over evil. It’s historic.”

“I showed it to all my guests and was really happy with it.”

A few months after the auction, Cassinelli was contacted by Sotheby’s and informed that his prized photo was at the center of a law enforcement investigation. He was subsequently put in touch with Canadian police, and his unwitting role in an international art heist soon became clear. Although his purchase from Sotheby’s was in good faith and therefore he was not legally obligated to return the artwork, Cassinelli made the decision to return the print to the Canadian hotel.

The hotel had originally received the signed print as a gift directly from its renowned photographer, Yousuf Karsh, who lived at the hotel with his wife for 18 years.

“I promised myself to one day go to Ottawa to see my photograph in the place where I know it should stay, because it had been gifted to the hotel by Yousuf Karsh, it is only right that it remains there,” Cassinelli tells The Telegraph. “[…] I like art and I like to collect. I am not in it to be speculative. Had I decided not to return it perhaps there would have been a big compensation worth its actual value, but there was an entire nation searching for it. I just felt it was right to return it.

“Being Italian, we have had many pieces of art stolen from us, the Mona Lisa in fact has never been given back by France and I know how painful this can be for a populace.”

Photo Returned and Suspect Arrested

After being official recovered in Italy in September, the photo’s return to the hotel was announced at a press conference last Friday.

“After more than two years, I stand before you to celebrate the return of our iconic portrait,” says hotel general manager Geneviève Dumas. “We extend our gratitude to Ottawa police services, international law enforcement, Mr Nicola Cassinelli, and all who are contributing to its return.”

Canadian and Italian law enforcement were also able to identify and arrest a subject based on public tips and forensic analysis.

43-year-old Jeffrey Iain James Wood of Powassan, Ontario, was arrested and charged with forgery, theft, and trafficking. He is expected to appear in court later this month defended by Lawrence Greenspon, a well-known criminal defense lawyer.

Cassinelli, who is still out of thousands of dollars in fees even after being reimbursed for his purchase and legal expenses, has replaced the print on his wall with a cheap $100 poster of the same photograph mounted in the exact same spot.

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