In what can only be described as a novel approach to pending civil claims against him, a Romanian art thief who has admitted to stealing masterpieces by Gauguin, Monet and Picasso has threatened to sue the Dutch museum he took them from for making his robbery too easy. Radu Dogaru is among six Romanians arrested for last year’s “spectacular three-minute heist” from the Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam.

Despite the fact that the art had an estimated value of $24 million, apparently none of the paintings were equipped with an alarm.  As a result, Dogaru’s attorney told the court that the museum’s negligence ought to have “serious consequences,” and that his client was  considering hiring Dutch lawyers to bring a lawsuit against the museum for its comparative negligence for the potential civil claims faced by the thief.

Unfortunately, it seems his attorneys were not as creative in defending the criminal action, as Dogaru has already pleaded guilty and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.   Whether he takes a break from his incarceration to file his proposed lawsuit remains to be seen.