SAN FRANCISCO — The man accused of several high-end art thefts in California and New York pleaded not guilty Friday to stealing a Pablo Picasso sketch from a prominent San Francisco art gallery, according to a new report.
Mark Lugo, 30, is charged with stealing Picasso’s 1965 “Tête de Femme (Head of a Woman)” from San Francisco’s Weinstein Gallery on July 5. The work is valued at over $200,000.
Citing public safety concerns for local businesses, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Samuel Feng denied Lugo’s request to reduce his bail from $5 million to $2 million. Lugo has been in a San Francisco jail since first being arrested July 6, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
A police raid of Lugo’s New Jersey apartment unearthed another $500,000 worth of stolen artwork, including a $350,000 Picasso etching that was stolen from the William Bennett Gallery in New York on June 27.
Lugo formerly worked as a wine steward and waiter at high-end Manhattan restaurants BLT Fish and Per Se.
He also faces charges in New Jersey for stealing three bottles of wine worth $6,000 from a wine store, The Chronicle said.
