St. Paul Man Pleads Guilty to Filing False Insurance Claim for Stolen Art

A 39-year-old man has pleaded guilty to filing a false insurance claim for $250,000.

Jason Sheedy was charged with one count of wire fraud Aug. 6 in connection to the scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office says.

In his plea agreement, Sheedy admitted to devising a scheme to get money from the AXA Art Insurance Corporation, which insures artwork and items of historical value.

In September 2007, Sheedy insured several items, including artwork, with the company. Later that month, he filed an insurance claim for $274,905, reporting that some of the insured pieces - including several works of art - were stolen from a moving van.

In January 2008, the insurance company mailed Sheedy a check for $254,832. Then, in May 2011 Sheedy listed six of the reportedly stolen paintings on a website for a Nevada auction house. All but one of the art pieces reported stolen were found during search of his home in December 2011.

Sheedy also admitted to filing a false claim with Farmer's Insurance Company in September 2007 for stolen household items valued at $93,302. That claim was paid in February 2008.