PLEASANT GROVE, Utah — The Utah County Attorney’s Office has charged an Orem man with 14 felony counts, alleging that he stole two valuable paintings by a famous early Utah artist.
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.
Instead, court documents said, he sold the paintings and swapped them with copies.
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."
Bell had allegedly sold the “Portrait of Sara Kohlepp” for $110,000 and “Roses” for $15,000. He “admitted he used the proceeds from the sale” to invest in his business, charging documents allege.
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."
“Roses” is still missing, he confirmed Monday.
Prosecutors had alleged the victim previously provided financial support to Bell for his business through “a series of undocumented loans.”
Initially, she was willing to loan the money.
But charging documents say Bell eventually began using “emotional pressure and threats to cut off assistance to coerce” her into providing additional funds, which she did “out of fear.”
Court documents also accuse him of forging a $75,000 check from the victim.
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.
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.
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.
'An important part of Teichert’s story’
Famous paintings and sculptures from around the world regularly come through the doors at Anthony’s Fine Art & Antiques in Salt Lake City on their way to a new home.
"We've been around for 40 years,” gallery co-owner Micah Christensen said in an interview with FOX 13 News. “So we've seen a lot of things."
But in the last 20 years, he estimates he’s seen only a few dozen pieces by Teichert, “which is very little compared to other major artists from the period.”
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.
Christensen regards Teichert, known for her depictions of pioneers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, scenes from the Book of Mormon, and life in the West, as “one of the greatest artists we’ve ever produced in this area,” based on both her skill and originality.
So he was excited when he saw the “Portrait of Sara Kohlepp,” a large-scale painting of Teichert’s sister, come up for sale.
Anthony knew the seller well. And Christensen felt the piece, which was the artist’s first commissioned work when she returned home from her art studies in New York, was an “important part of Teichert’s story.”
"So we thought, ‘You know, we’ll buy it; we’ll probably sit on it for a really long time and get somebody to donate it to a museum,’” he said.
The plan changed when they got a call from a detective with the Pleasant Grove Police Department, who told them “there was a belief that the painting had been stolen from the family members that had it originally,” Christensen said.
Anthony's was “third, fourth or fifth in line of having bought the piece,” he said.
“All we were told was just, ‘It’s not for sale anymore, and hold onto it until we decide what to do with it,’” Christensen said. “So it’s currently in our storage.”
Micah Christensen, co-owner at Anthony’s Fine Art & Antiques, discusses the importance of the “Portrait of Sara Kohlhepp.”
‘Our cultural heritage’
Finding the “Portrait of Sara Kohlepp” was only the first step in what Shumway said could be a long process to return the piece to the alleged victim.
“While the original theft was a crime, the painting then was purchased and sold legitimately, at least in the eyes of the rest of the victims,” he said. “So three or four times it has exchanged hands, been sold to people and private dealers. And so now, moving forward, there’s several people that will need to receive restitution.”
Christensen said there’s no question Anthony’s will do its best to get the painting back to its rightful home – even if it means taking a financial loss.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the end with our money,” he said. “We’re out a lot of money on it. But things are going to work out.”
While many stolen works are destroyed, Christensen said he’s glad to know the “Portrait of Sara Kohlepp” is safe. And he’s optimistic “Roses” will be found quickly.
“I’m hopeful that it will show up,” he said. “These things have a real presence about them.”
Ultimately, he believes this story will someday be just a footnote in the long lives of these works of early Utah art that represent an important piece of “our cultural heritage.”
“There’s not much that survives historically,” Christensen said. “Art survives. And you know, there are lots of major Minerva Teicherts that we’ve had over the years. I helped them get to the next place. That’s what keeps me going.”
Anyone with information about the missing “Roses” painting is encouraged to call the Pleasant Grove Police Department’s non-emergency line at 801-798-5600.
Christensen explains how fine art dealers work to determine whether a piece has been stolen: