United States Attorney Jay Clayton announced that Thomas Doyle, also known as “AJ” or “Austin Doyle,” has been charged with wire fraud related to the theft of a painting by 19th-century French Realist artist Gustave Courbet. The indictment alleges that Doyle defrauded the owner of “Mother and Child on a Hammock” through a series of false statements and misrepresentations. Doyle was arrested in Norwalk, Connecticut, and appeared before the Southern District of New York court. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian is overseeing the case.
“The art market is largely based on trust,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “As alleged, Thomas Doyle breached that trust by telling the owner of a valuable painting a series of brazen lies to trick the owner into giving him the painting so he could keep the profits from the sale of the painting for himself. The women and men of the Southern District of New York and our law enforcement partners will continue to work diligently to root out this type of bad actor.”
According to information provided in federal court, between December 2022 and March 2025, Doyle contacted an art dealer via email claiming to be involved in buying and selling art. Over time, he falsely told this dealer that he managed assets for a family trust worth billions.
In June 2024, discussions began regarding “Mother and Child on a Hammock,” which belonged to the dealer. Doyle was given custody of the artwork under the pretense it would be shown to potential buyers.
By July 2024, Doyle told the owner there was an interested buyer willing to pay $550,000 for the painting; Victim-1 authorized him to handle its sale at that price. In August 2024, Doyle falsely claimed he had sold it for $550,000.
Instead, someone working with Doyle offered it for consignment at a Manhattan gallery using falsified documentation about its history—stating incorrectly that it had been bought from Victim-1 in 2019. The gallery sold it on October 1, 2024 for $125,000; after commission deductions were taken out by Gallery-1 ($10,000), $115,000 was wired to Associate-1 who then paid $109,250 to Doyle.
Doyle did not pay any proceeds from this sale back to Victim-1 but instead used all funds for personal expenses and debts by February 2025. He later lied about why payment had not been made—claiming falsely that payment from his supposed buyer was still pending even though funds had already been received and spent.
On March 4, 2025 via email correspondence with Victim-1, Doyle admitted he had “betrayed” and “lied” regarding what happened with the artwork.
Doyle faces one count of wire fraud which carries up to twenty years in prison if convicted; sentencing decisions are ultimately up to judicial discretion within legal guidelines set by Congress.
U.S. Attorney Clayton recognized contributions from agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Art Crime Team in advancing this case.
The prosecution is being led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cecilia Vogel from the Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit.
