Mid-City Pawn Shop Owner Charged in High-Stakes Art Scheme
The owner of a pawn shop in Los Angeles’ Mid-City neighborhood has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly conspiring to sell a stolen Andy Warhol print and making false statements to federal investigators.
Glenn Steven Bednarsh, 58, of Farmington, Michigan, and formerly of Beverly Hills, was charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He is expected to be arraigned in the coming weeks in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
Prosecutors allege that in February 2021, Bednarsh knowingly purchased a Warhol trial proof featuring Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin for $6,000, despite its estimated value of $175,000. The artwork had been reported stolen, and Bednarsh is accused of enlisting co-conspirator Brian Alec Light, 58, of Hudson, Ohio, to assist in its sale.
Light allegedly contacted a Dallas-based auction house through its Beverly Hills office to facilitate the sale. In March 2021, Bednarsh delivered the print to the Beverly Hills location, and it was subsequently shipped to Texas. Light then signed a consignment agreement electronically and asked about a cash advance, according to court filings.
The fraud unraveled when an auction house employee sought a second opinion from a gallery in West Hollywood. The gallery recognized the Warhol piece as stolen and alerted both the auction house and the FBI.
Federal investigators say that when questioned later that month, Light falsely claimed he had purchased the print for $18,000 at a garage sale in Culver City and presented a fabricated receipt. Bednarsh also allegedly misled agents during interviews in August and September 2021, stating that he stored the artwork for Light solely as a favor and not for personal gain.
Light pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27 and faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik M. Silber of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section and Matthew W. O’Brien of the Environmental Crime and Consumer Protection Section are prosecuting the case.
