Dr. Arnold Klein removed treasure trove of art, authorities charge
By Nancy Dillon / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Michael Jackson’s bankrupt dermatologist is a wanted man.
Federal authorities have issued a warrant for Dr. Arnold Klein’s arrest — saying he removed a treasure trove of art from two properties in his bankrupt estate and failed to turn over a 2001 Ferrari spider with the license plate “GOT BTOX.”
A judge signed the warrant Thursday and said Klein should go to jail until he says where he stashed the pricey pieces.
“It’s bullsh–. I’m tired of this by now. Really tired of this,” Klein told the Daily News Thursday. “They’re trying to steal everything I own. They can’t have anything more. I’m done. There must be integrity and compassion left in this country.”
Court paperwork claims Klein stripped a Laguna, Calif., home of scores of artworks including lithographs by David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein and Frank Stella, a sculpture by Man Ray and even some ceramic works attributed to Pablo Picasso.
The court also alleges Klein’s Palm Springs residence was filled with works by Jean Michel Basquiat, David LaChapelle, Andy Warhol and other famous artists in August, but 37 pieces were missing during a check earlier this month.
Michael Jackson, Arnold W. Klein, M.D., and Elizabeth Taylor.
Klein claimed the voluntary Chapter 11 proceeding has been unduly influenced by the executors of Michael Jackson’s estate, whom he has publicly criticized.
“If I end up in jail, I may not come out alive,” the 67-year-old doctor said. “Let them look for me. I’m not willing to go to jail. They will not find me.”
He complained that estate executor John Branca belongs to the same law firm as a founding director of The Private Bank of California, a bank involved in his case.
“It’s all a set-up,” Klein ranted. “I wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Attempts to reach a spokesman for Jackson’s estate were not immediately successful.
The estate, meanwhile, has generated more than a half a billion dollars since the singer’s 2009 death to pay his debts and support his mother and three kids.
ndillon@nydailynews.com
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