[MSN] Russia. Stolen painting found in car

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Stolen painting found in car
Three Russian men charged in theft of artwork from gallery
By CLAUDIA MELÉNDEZ SALINAS
Herald Salinas Bureau
Monterey County Herald
Article Last Updated:05/12/2007 01:26:36 AM PDT
Three Russian nationals have been charged with stealing a Russian 
master's painting from a Carmel art gallery.

On Friday, Judge Russell Scott set bail at $50,000 for Anatoliy 
Valsilvich Melnik, and at $30,000 for Vadir Vatalevich Shavlovsky and 
Victor Ivaschenko. The men were arrested late Monday near the Simic New 
Renaissance Gallery in Carmel, police said, after the gallery's alarm 
was set off.

The painting, "Sailor's Delight," a seascape by Russian master Eugene 
Garin valued at $40,000, was cut from its frame before the gallery 
closed, Detective Jesse Juarez said.

About 20 minutes before midnight, police said, burglars tried to break 
into the gallery, triggering the alarm. Melnik, Shavlovsky and 
Ivaschenko were detained by officers soon after. When their vehicle was 
searched, "Sailor's Delight" was found inside.

"It is believed (they returned) to steal more high-valued art," Juarez said.

Deputy District Attorney Dennis LaBarbara persuaded Scott to set bail 
higher, saying the men could pose a flight risk.

Bail for Melnik, 30, was set higher because there is an outstanding 
warrant for his arrest in Sacramento for a probation violation, 
LaBarbara said. Melnik is wanted in other counties for violating 
probation in at least one burglary case.

LaBarbara wanted higher bail for Shavlovsky because he is believed to 
live in Portland, Ore.

Defense attorney Scott Erdbacher, who is representing Ivaschenko, argued 
that his client was not a flight risk because he has lived in Sacramento 
for decades, and has family and children.

The men are charged with burglary and attempted burglary, and with 
possession of stolen property. They will appear in court Wednesday.

Garin, born in the Soviet Republic of Ukraine in 1922, is one of the 
most popular painters of marine landscapes. He immigrated to the United 
States about 1960 and painted scenes of California's coast.

Claudia Meléndez Salinas can be reached at 753-6755 or 
cmelendez at montereyherald.com.

http://www.montereyherald.com