A Brazilian Lady Defrauded Her Mother Of Artwork Worth Over $100 Million

Sabine Coll Boghici, a 48-year-old Brazilian woman, was detained on suspicion of participating in a bizarre scheme to defraud her 82-year-old mother Genevieve Boghici the wife of the late art collector Jean Boghici of money, valuables, and jewellery totalling approximately 724 million reais ($142.42 million).

Her arrest has revealed a frightening web of deception that, according to the police, spanned years and employed purported psychics to steal works of art from some of Brazil’s most famous painters. In addition to Diana Rosa Aparecida Stanesco Vuletic and Slavko Vuletic, four other people were also detained.

The con started in 2020 when Genevieve was approached by a purported clairvoyant who claimed to be able to predict the death of her daughter.

The girl was subsequently taken to a number of psychics, who, according to authorities, tricked the victim’s upset mother into sending money to pay for “spiritual treatment” by using personal evidence given by her daughter.

Genevieve was allegedly physically threatened by the suspects in the months that followed, and her daughter allegedly forced her to stay at home for several months.

According to Rio de Janeiro police officer Gilberto Ribeiro, Sabine and a companion who pretended to be a psychic “began to take the artwork from the mother’s residence, alleging that the picture was afflicted with something terrible, with negative energy, and needed to be prayed over.”

The victim made the decision to contact the authorities after being badly treated by Sabine and her cohorts for almost a year.
According to the police, 16 paintings were taken, including pieces by well-known Brazilian artists including Alberto Guignard, Rubens Gerchman, and Cicero Dias.

Theft also included three works by renowned modernist artist Tarsila do Amaral, “O Sono,” “Sol Poente,” and “Pont Neuf,” which were collectively valued by police at 700 million reais ($137.69 million).
In a raid by Rio de Janeiro police on one of the psychic’s residences on Wednesday, 11 paintings were found, including Amaral’s “Sol Poente.”

Additionally, three paintings have been found by authorities in Sao Paulo. Two have yet to be found after being sold to a Buenos Aires museum.
Seven persons are accused of being involved in the long-running crime, according to the police, and are being held on counts of theft, robbery, extortion, false imprisonment, and criminal association.