PLEASANT GROVE, Utah \u2014 The Utah County Attorney\u2019s Office has charged an Orem man with 14 felony counts, alleging that he stole two valuable paintings by a famous early Utah artist.<\/p>\n
Charging documents allege Loren Michael Bell, 53, told a close family member he was taking the original Minerva Teichert pieces to be cleaned in late 2022 or early 2023.<\/p>\n
Instead, court documents said, he sold the paintings and swapped them with copies.<\/p>\n
The probable cause statement mentioned that “the switch went undetected” until April 2025, when another family member of the alleged victim, who was then in her late 70s, “noticed that the original paintings had been replaced with prints.”<\/p>\n
Bell had allegedly sold the \u201cPortrait of Sara Kohlepp\u201d for $110,000 and \u201cRoses\u201d for $15,000. He \u201cadmitted he used the proceeds from the sale\u201d to invest in his business, charging documents allege.<\/p>\n
In an interview with FOX 13 News before the charges were filed, Pleasant Grove Police Department Lt. Derick Shumway became involved in the case when “they were able to locate one of the missing paintings, the more valuable of the two.”<\/p>\n
\u201cRoses\u201d is still missing, he confirmed Monday.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors had alleged the victim previously provided financial support to Bell for his business through \u201ca series of undocumented loans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Initially, she was willing to loan the money.<\/p>\n
But charging documents say Bell eventually began using \u201cemotional pressure and threats to cut off assistance to coerce\u201d her into providing additional funds, which she did \u201cout of fear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Court documents also accuse him of forging a $75,000 check from the victim.<\/p>\n
She estimated she made payments to Bell totaling around $1 million and said he never repaid any of the money, according to the probable cause statement.<\/p>\n
Bell is charged in state court in Provo with counts of theft, forgery, sale of stolen property, money laundering, communications fraud, financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, criminal simulation and pattern of unlawful activity.<\/p>\n
FOX 13 News spoke with Bell by phone twice after charges were filed. Both times, he said he was trying to decide whether to give an interview or provide a statement for this story. He ultimately chose not to do either.<\/p>\n
‘An important part of Teichert\u2019s story\u2019<\/p>\n
Famous paintings and sculptures from around the world regularly come through the doors at Anthony\u2019s Fine Art & Antiques in Salt Lake City on their way to a new home.<\/p>\n
“We’ve been around for 40 years,\u201d gallery co-owner Micah Christensen said in an interview with FOX 13 News. \u201cSo we’ve seen a lot of things.”<\/p>\n
But in the last 20 years, he estimates he\u2019s seen only a few dozen pieces by Teichert, \u201cwhich is very little compared to other major artists from the period.\u201d<\/p>\n
That’s because many of her pieces are on display in public collections, including at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art and the Utah State Capitol.<\/p>\n