Los Angeles, CA — A former Beverly Hills resident and current Michigan pawn shop owner has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to the attempted sale of a stolen Andy Warhol trial proof and making false statements to federal investigators, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced Tuesday.
Glenn Steven Bednarsh, 58, of Farmington, Michigan, faces two felony counts: conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen goods. The indictment alleges Bednarsh conspired to sell a stolen Warhol artwork—specifically, a trial proof depicting Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin—valued at approximately $175,000.
According to court documents, Bednarsh knowingly purchased the stolen Warhol piece in February 2021 for just $6,000 and later sought the help of a co-conspirator, Brian Alec Light, 58, of Hudson, Ohio, to sell it. Light contacted the Beverly Hills branch of a Dallas-based auction house and arranged to consign the artwork.
In March 2021, Bednarsh personally delivered the Warhol print to the auction house’s Beverly Hills office, which then shipped it to its headquarters in Dallas. Light signed the consignment agreement electronically and later contacted the auction house requesting a cash advance for the artwork.
The suspicious artwork drew attention when the auction house consulted a West Hollywood gallery, which immediately identified the Warhol as a stolen piece. The gallery promptly notified the auction house and the FBI, triggering a federal investigation.
During subsequent inquiries by the FBI, Light falsely claimed he had purchased the artwork at a Culver City garage sale for $18,000 and produced a fabricated receipt. Later, in August and September 2021, Bednarsh also misled agents, asserting that he had merely stored the piece for Light as a favor and received no compensation.
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 could face up to 10 years in federal prison.
Bednarsh is expected to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks. If convicted, he also faces a potential decade behind bars.
Authorities remind the public that an indictment is only an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
