"I like airplanes"

Hackler Stole a Sculpture from a Vienna Billionaire’s Villa

He had mistaken the 43,500-euro sculpture by Anselm Kiefer in his luxury villa for trash.(Bild: Krone-Collage/Martin A. Jöchl, Anselm Kiefer)

Employees at the Dorotheum auction house were quite astonished when a construction worker presented them with a 43,500-euro work by a well-known German-Austrian artist. It quickly became clear: it was stolen. The defendant had taken the small lead airplane from a billionaire’s villa in Vienna-Döbling. Yet he was acquitted.

The scene of the crime was a luxury villa in the upscale Vienna-Döbling neighborhood: A filthy-rich Austrian was renovating his estate in early summer 2025. Dozens of workers were bustling about on the construction site—including the 29-year-old now on trial at the Vienna Regional Court.

Defendant Mistook Art for Trash
“We were working on the first floor of the villa,” says the Romanian. “I wanted to take out some debris and walked through the garage.” And there it was: a lead airplane on a white canvas. “The Argonauts” by the German-Austrian artist Anselm Kiefer—valued at 43,500 euros. “I saw that it had been sitting there for a few days,” says the now-unemployed construction worker. “I felt bad that something like that was being thrown away. It was buried under the rubble.”

I like airplanes.

Unwissender Kunstdieb (29)

So he just took it without a second thought. “Do you know anything about art?” Mr. Rat asks. “No, but I like airplanes,” the Romanian says, drawing a chuckle in the courtroom. He had absolutely no idea what he was putting into his construction debris bag back then. “I couldn’t have known at the time. To be honest, I have no connection to that sort of thing,” the defendant assures us.

Dorotheum immediately sounded the alarm
But someone did know: ChatGPT. The artificial intelligence he consulted actually estimated a high value. “So I did some more research.” The 29-year-old came across the Dorotheum auction house, submitted an inquiry—and that’s when all the alarm bells went off there. Dorotheum immediately withdrew the artwork. 

The defendant submitted an inquiry to the Dorotheum auction house—and alarm bells went off immediately.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

Theft went unnoticed for nearly a year
But the foundation of the billionaire—who owns the small lead airplane—hadn’t even noticed yet that its 43,500-euro possession was missing. It wasn’t until the end of April of this year that the foundation filed a police report. And that’s where the legal dilemma begins. Because even though the Romanian admitted to stealing the sculpture before the single judge, he was acquitted.

“In case of doubt, we’re not within the one-year statute of limitations. If we’re not sure, we have no other choice.”

Richter begründet Freispruch im Wiener Landesgericht

“I actually believe them when they say they didn’t know the airplane was worth more than 5,000 euros,” explains Mr. Rat. This means, from a criminal law perspective, it constitutes simple theft. The prosecutor correctly notes, however, that this offense is subject to a one-year statute of limitations. The crime took place between mid-May and early June 2025, and the criminal investigation department’s final report is dated May 18, 2026. “When in doubt, we’re outside the one-year statute of limitations. If we’re not sure, we have no other choice,” the judge summarizes. 

A Happy Ending for Everyone
So the art thief, who has confessed, goes home with a clean record. “You’re very lucky. It doesn’t change the fact that you did something wrong, but we can’t prosecute you,” the judge says. But there’s a happy ending for the billionaire, too: “The Argonauts” are back in his possession.