Former art gallery owner indicted

March 27, 2009

The owner of a now-closed Manhattan art gallery has been indicted on 100 counts that include charges of grand larceny, securities fraud, and forgery. Lawrence B. Salander was painted as a thief who stole $88 million from art owners, a bank, and investors, including tennis great John McEnroe. Salander used the money to try to corner the Renaissance art market and support an extravagant lifestyle, said District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. Salander was arrested yesterday, arraigned in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, and held on $1 million bail. (AP)

Madonna is planning to adopt a second child from Malawi, officials said yesterday, but questions have been raised over whether the newly divorced pop star will face obstacles because of her status as a single mother. An official at the Malawi welfare department said Madonna, who is 50 and a mother of three, filed adoption papers in the southern African country. The singer was accused of using her celebrity status to circumvent Malawian adoptions laws when she adopted her son David. That adoption became final in 2008. (AP)

Los Angeles prosecutors charged a man yesterday with stalking "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Shawn Johnson, saying he drove from Florida in a car found with loaded guns, duct tape, and love letters to meet the 17-year-old Olympic gymnast. Robert O'Ryan, 34, was charged with one felony count of stalking and two misdemeanor counts of carrying a loaded gun in a vehicle. . . . In Vienna, an Austrian woman accused of stalking "CSI: Miami" star David Caruso was in custody after she was arrested in Mexico and deported back to her homeland, officials said yesterday. The woman allegedly sent more than 100 letters to the actor, pursued him for an autograph, and sent death threats when he refused to give her one, according to prosecutors. (AP)

Grammy-nominated singer Wayna was arrested at a Houston airport after trying to get on a plane with a collapsible police baton that she uses while performing. Wayna, 35, whose real name is Woyneab Miraf Wondwossen, was charged with possession of a prohibited weapon. Security guards at Bush International Airport discovered the 24-inch baton in her carry-on bag. (AP)

Actor Tom Selleck visited the National Mall in Washington yesterday to launch new exhibits for a traveling museum honoring Vietnam veterans. The 64-year-old Emmy winner joined members of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund as they unveiled exhibits for The Wall That Heals, a 45-foot aluminum trailer that travels across the country. (AP)