<|begin_of_text|><|begin_of_text|><|begin_of_text|>This crook had great taste, but terrible business sense.
A laborer stole about 40 paintings valued at $550,000 from posh Hamptons homes during a two-month spree that ended after he tried to sell some to a<wm> man he found in his apartment, and later turned out he was a con.
In a rare case of so-called art thieves, the thief also targeted several others before his own disappearance. The painting's owner found a small business card in his studio with the artist’s phone and contact information, and later learned that his art had not been sold. Realizing he had some financial troubles, he ended his own career before turning a profit by selling some of the stolen items online. His scheme went undet</wm>ected by the police because the police didn't know he needed to report a felony theft of large value