NEW YORK.- Former Assistant Deputy Warden Mitchell Hochhauser was sent to prison after he was sentenced for one to three years on a guilty plea. He had taken a Salvador Dalí sketch of the Crucifixion from the Rikers Island jail.   

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett stated “Former Assistant Deputy Warden Mitchell Hochhauser had a very fine position in the Department of Correction . . . and he risked it all foolishly in the hope of a gain that ran awry." Hochhauser pleaded guilty to grand larceny and is being held in protective custody.

The Dali drawing of the Crucifixion was hanging in an entryway foyer in the Eric Taylor jail. Hochhauser and his three co-workers allegedly exchanged the work for a fake to sell the original on the black market for $500,000. So far, two other guards have pleaded guilty, and a third, Deputy Warden Benny Nuzzo, claims he is innocent and is going to trial