Convicted art dealer testifies in trial of ex-NOPD officer accused of planning insurance fraud scheme

A Las Vegas appraiser of high-end artwork testified Monday in a federal courtroom that he took his cues from then-New Orleans policeman Christian Claus when he inflated values for a slate of paintings reported stolen from the Lakeview home of well-known restaurateur Fouad Zeton.

Prosecutors say Claus, a former Las Vegas attorney who moved to New Orleans and became a patrol officer, convinced Zeton to report 12 paintings stolen in October 2019. He promised to use his friendship with Michael Schofield, an artist of 50 years, and his position on the police force to secure a hefty insurance claim.

In exchange, Zeton promised a kickback from the payout and pledged to use his political connections to advance Claus' career.

Federal prosecutors allege the theft that Zeton reported was staged, as was an interview captured on body-worn police video as Claus responded to Zeton's home to take the initial, allegedly bogus theft report.

Zeton called 911 minutes after he, Schofield and Claus held a three-way telephone conference the night of Nov. 6, 2019, federal prosecutors indicated Tuesday. Zeton reported that he noticed the artwork missing from his bedroom walls after construction was completed, according to court records.

Just hours earlier, Schofield had delivered an appraisal that listed the combined value of the paintings at $128,500. He testified that he did so after Claus hired him to appraise the pieces at about $10,000 apiece.

Schofield said "it was going to be tough" to justify such high values for the paintings, which he described as duplicates produced in China and sold in the U.S. through distributors.

Schofield said he came up with a two-page "write-up" that detailed the inflated numbers for the collection of paintings, valuing several of them as high as $15,000.

On the stand Monday in Claus' criminal trial inside the U.S. Eastern District Courthouse, he admitted there was no way the paintings would sell for those amounts at wholesale galleries or online auctions. He told jurors "interior decorating markets" were the only place his appraisals could garner five-figure payouts.

That reality didn't stop Zeton from submitting a claim to his homeowner's insurer, Western World Insurance, that estimated the artwork was worth $128,500.

A former boxer who has touted his connections to political figures like former New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell, Zeton pleaded guilty to insurance fraud for his role in filing the fake insurance claim.

FBI agents raided Zeton's Lower Garden District hotel in 2022 and recovered several of the paintings he'd claimed stolen nearly three years prior.

Schofield also pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme. Both men have awaited sentencing while Claus stood to be tried on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy, using a facility in interstate commerce in aid of bribery, lying to a federal agent.

Zeton testified last week over two days as a witness for the government.

Ruthie Moore Winston, a New Orleans appraiser, took the stand Monday afternoon and said the paitings were "giclée," high-resolution digital duplicates of high-end art. She valued the total collection at $6,500.

Schofield was sentenced to 10 months in prison in California in 2008 after he admitted pretending that a sketch by Pablo Picasso valued at $200,000, called "Le Couple," belonged to him, and using it to secure a $40,000 loan.

Christopher Murell, Claus' attorney, questioned Schofield about his criminal past and confronted him over the deal he made with federal authorities in October 2023. For agreeing to testify against Claus, the feds agreed to drop more serious charges against him and limited his potential prison stint to a maximum three years.

Prosecutors could also ask the judge to reduce his sentence to probation based on his cooperation, Murell suggested.

"You want to please the government with your testimony during this trial so they will give you that letter," he asked.

"I would think I'd want to be a good witness and tell the truth," Schofield said.

The trial is expected to resume Tuesday as the government continues to present its case.