The Ontario man who pleaded guilty to stealing an iconic portrait of former British prime minister Winston Churchill from Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier hotel was sentenced today to two years less a day in jail.
Jeffrey Wood admitted earlier this year to stealing the portrait and committing forgery.
Renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh snapped the celebrated portrait in 1941 in the Speaker’s office just after Churchill delivered a rousing wartime address to Canadian lawmakers.
Police said the portrait was stolen from the hotel sometime between Christmas Day 2021 and Jan. 6, 2022, and replaced with a fake.
The swap was only discovered months later, in August, when a hotel worker noticed the frame was not hung properly.
The portrait was returned to the hotel after a lengthy international investigation determined it was bought at an auction in London by an Italian man who was not aware it was stolen.
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