Brian Walshe: Husband of missing mom Ana ransacked dad's $710K seaside villa after being axed from will
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Court documents show the husband of missing Massachusetts woman Ana Walshe stole Salvador Dali artwork from his father's estate after sneaking into his home following his death. Brian Walshe, 46, was charged Monday, January 9, with "misleading police" in connection with the investigation into his wife, Ana, 39, who disappeared on New Year's Day.
Walshe was accused by his family of robbing his father, Dr Thomas Walshe, of nearly a million dollars before the two split up in 2009, reports Daily Mail. Thomas died unexpectedly in India in 2018 at the age of 71, and his lawyer notified his son of the news.
READ MORE
As reported by Daily Mail, legal records reveal that Ana's husband Walshe requested a key to the $710,000 seaside home in Hull, Massachusetts, after the lawyer went there and photographed the original will, which was dated in May 2016. They claim that the younger Walshe broke into his father's house and stole a car, along with luxury goods and artwork valued at thousands of dollars, including works by Salvador Dali and Joan Miro. The father of three allegedly attempted to sell his father's house for $140,000 more than it was worth after being incorrectly identified as the will's executor.
As per reports, Walshe was also charged with trying to sell the other goods online right away and advertising a sale for January, months after his father died. The errors weren't discovered until his cousin, who was appointed as Thomas' executor, got in touch with his uncle's friend in 2019 and learned that he had passed away. Ana's husband neglected to inform other family members about his father's death; as a result, the estate was taken over by another relative in July 2019. A month later, he attempted to object to the appointment, and a probate court rejected his request after requiring him to give an inventory of the items he had taken from the property.
Also, Walshe, 48, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Boston in 2021 after being arrested a few years ago for selling two fake Andy Warhol paintings to a South Korean buyer for $80,000, federal prosecutors said. Walshe took the paintings from a friend and sold them on eBay, only to switch them out for fakes, as per Daily Mail. According to court records, there were various difficulties surrounding Brian's punishment. He was initially ordered for home confinement, but the present status of the case is unknown.