GENOA - A 67-year-old man has been arrested in a hotel room in Genoa for having stolen one of the rarest cars in the world, before reselling it for 7.6 million dollars.

  The man, born in the U.S. but a Swiss citizen, in 2001 stole a 1938 Talbot Lago T150CSS Teardrop Coupè, one of only 16 models in the world.

   After having stolen the car from a garage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he transported the car in pieces out of the state and hid it in storage until the death of its rightful owner in 2005. He then falsified documents to show that he had bought the car from the grandson of the late owner and returned the car to Milwaukee, informing authorities that the stolen car had been found and that he was now the rightful owner.

  Having got away with this, he moved to Switzerland, bringing the car with him. In 2015, however, he moved back to the U.S. to sell the car to an American buyer for 7.6 million dollars.

  Things finally turned sour for the as yet unnamed man in May 2019 when U.S. authorities discovered his illegal trafficking and sale of the car, for which he could face 20 years in prison, and issued an international arrest warrant.

  He was discovered in the last few days by Italian law enforcement in a hotel on via XX Settembre in Genoa, after the hotel staff gave the list on guests to police, as is usual custom. 

  He is currently being held in Marassi Prison, pending extradition.

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