The United States obtained a restraining order Monday to block the sale of a painting by Pablo Picasso valued at an estimated $ 11.5 million at the request of the Italian government , the Justice Department announced . The case involves a 1909 work by Picasso known as `` Compotier et tasse '' which had been offered for private sale in New York . American officials obtained a restraining order blocking any sale and preventing the painting from being moved after Italian authorities asked for help in connection to the prosecution of Gabriella Amati . She and her late husband , Angelo Maj , were charged by Italian prosecutors with embezzlement and fraud . The couple allegedly worked with an official for the city of Naples and embezzled approximately $ 44 million of the city 's tax revenues , according to Italian court documents . The Picasso was not stolen but was purchased with money that Amati and her husband allegedly obtained through criminal activity , said a U.S. law enforcement official . Agents working for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement located and recovered the painting in New York , where it was being offered for sale , on May 21 . `` Restraining this valuable artwork is an effort to help recover some of the estimated $ 44 million that this couple stole from the tax-paying citizens of Naples , '' ICE Director John Morton said in a written statement .
Picasso 's `` Compotier et tasse , '' valued at $ 11.5 million , was for sale in New York . The U.S. stopped its sale at the request of the Italian government . The would-be seller is accused of bilking the city of Naples of $ 44 million in tax revenue .