Thu Sep 19 08:01:00 UTC 2024: ## Stolen Churchill Portrait Recovered in Italy, Returned to Canada
**OTTAWA -** A renowned portrait of Winston Churchill, known as “The Roaring Lion,” stolen from the Fairmont Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been recovered in Italy and will be returned to Canada.
The original print of Yousef Karsh’s iconic photograph, considered a masterpiece and a symbol of British wartime resilience, was discovered in Genoa after a lengthy investigation spanning two continents. It was unknowingly purchased in May 2022 from Sotheby’s auction house in London by an Italian collector, Nicola Cassinelli.
The theft, which occurred sometime between December 25, 2021, and January 6, 2022, went unnoticed until August 2022. A hotel employee realized the displayed portrait was a fake, prompting an immediate investigation.
Ottawa Police, working in partnership with Italian authorities, tracked the photo to Cassinelli, who was cleared of any wrongdoing as he purchased the portrait unaware of its stolen status.
A 43-year-old man from Powassen, Ontario, Jeffrey Wood, was arrested in April and faces multiple charges related to the theft.
The portrait, which had been displayed in the Château Laurier since the late 1990s, is expected to return to its place on the hotel walls next month.
“This was a piece of history,” said Geneviève Dumas, general manager of the Château Laurier, emphasizing the priceless value of the photograph beyond its monetary worth.
The recovery of the “Roaring Lion” portrait marks the successful conclusion of a high-profile art heist that captivated Canada and the world.
First Piper 