Posted September 1, 2003.
Onondaga Friends Director Pleads Guilty to Art Theft
The former executive director of the Friends of the Onondaga County (N.Y.) Public Library pleaded guilty August 13 to a misdemeanor count of petty larceny in the theft of a John Dodgson Barrow painting, “Ben Porter,” from the library. As part of a plea agreement for a reduced charge, Thomas Dydyk avoided prosecution for the theft of a second Barrow painting, according to the August 28 Syracuse Post-Standard. Dydyk had sold the two paintings at a garage sale in May.
Dydyk was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge because he had no prior criminal record, paid a full restitution of $1,000 to the persons who bought the paintings from him, and submitted his resignation as Friends director on May 28.
As another mitigating circumstance, Dydyk agreed to return other items belonging to the library that were in his possession, including merchandise from the gift shop and material from a book-lecture series he had been responsible for.
Posted September 1, 2003.