Man Who "Lost" $1.3 Million Painting Faced $800K Lawsuit

NEW YORK (CBS) James Haggerty claims he got drunk after taking his friend's $1.3 million painting to a prospective buyer - who passed on buying the painting - and the next thing he remembers is waking up in his apartment to find the painting, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot's "Portrait of a Girl," gone.

Haggerty's friend, Thomas Doyle, has since been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in connection with the painting's purchase, but it looks like he may not be the only one with something to hide - Haggerty is apparently facing an unrelated $800k fraud lawsuit of his own.

Court documents reveal that a company by the name of the TerraComm Group filed a lawsuit against Haggerty and his business partner Robert Angona and their company, Madison M & A Capital Partners, claiming that they failed to pay the $800k that TerraComm billed for a consultation job, according to the New York Daily News.

Haggerty and his business partner have yet to respond to the lawsuit and, according to the papers filed, the company has moved addresses twice since then and changed names at least three times, the paper reported.

Phone numbers listed for the company have been disconnected.

As for Haggerty, he seems to have vanished: he reportedly moved out of the apartment at Trump Place on Riverside Drive a few days after calling his friend and co-worker Doyle to share the bad news about the painting, according to Bloomberg News.

The made-for-Hollywood plot thickens and the FBI has stepped in to try and locate the painting. Doyle remains held without bail.

MORE ON CRIMESIDER
September 10, 2010 - Art Fraud Thomas Doyle Painted into Corner in Alleged Scam Over Missing Painting
September 3, 2010 - Honor Among Thieves? Co-Owner of Missing $1.3 Mil Painting Has Criminal Past