The daughter of a Nazi who took a painting from a Jewish man during the Holocaust has been dragged before a judge and charged with concealing the artwork.
Patricia Kadgien has been under house arrest since earlier this week in her home in the seaside town of Mar del Plata, Argentina.
She is the daughter of Friedrich Kadgien, a key aide to Adolf Hitler’s monstrous Luftwaffe chief Hermann Goering, who fled to South America after the war.
Patricia, who also goes by her middle name Monica, and her husband Juan Carlos Cortegoso, were charged Thursday with aggravated concealment of property for possessing the painting ‘Portrait of a Lady,’ reported Argentine outlet InfoBrias.
Local prosecutor Carlos Martinez said that ‘the crimes being covered up are serious, linked to crimes of genocide, theft in the context of genocide, and are related to a systematic plan to appropriate works of art and jewelry perpetrated by the Nazi regime.’
Police raided Patricia’s home last week looking for the painting, but found a tapestry had been put in its place.
Argentine Patricia Kadgien, daugther of SS financial guru Friedrich Kadgien, one of several high-ranking Nazis to escape to Argentina after the war, attends a hearing after being arrested in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires province on September 4, 2025. Argentine authorities recovered an 18th century painting stolen by Nazis from a Dutch Jewish art collector at Kadgien’s home in Mar del Plata, outside of Buenos Aires
Last night, Portrait of a Lady was finally recovered by Argentine authorities and then paraded to the media – the first time it had been seen since being seized from Amsterdam dealer Jacques Goudstikker more than 80 years ago. Above: Portrait of a Lady, behind art expert Ariel Bassano as he speaks to the media
On Tuesday, the 65-year-old heiress finally admitted to having the long sought-after portrait and hiding it from investigators.
The 1743 canvass by artist Giuseppe Vittore Ghislandi was owned by Jewish Dutch art dealer Jacques Goudstikker during World War II.
The painting was reported looted and is on the official Dutch registry for valuables pilfered by the Nazis, with the discovery sparking an international investigation and headlines around the world.
The family of Goudstikker are urging courts and police to return the painting to them.
Meanwhile, when Patricia was forced to turn over the painting this week, she asked a local court to declare her the official owner, according to newspaper La Nacion.
Through her lawyer, the Nazi daughter and yoga teacher admitted to being possession of the painting, and said she was surrendering it to a civil court so that she could be named its official owner by inheritance.
However, the civil judge recused herself in the case, leaving its ownership to the federal courts.
Patricia Kadgien, daughter of a former Nazi official, and her husband, Juan Carlos Cortegoso attend a hearing on charges of concealment and obstruction of justice, after authorities recovered a portrait of Contessa Colleoni by Italian artist Giuseppe Ghislandi, an iconic painting stolen decades ago by the Nazis, in Mar del Plata, Argentina September 4
Juan Carlos Cortegoso, husband of Patricia Kadgien, daughter of a former Nazi official, attends a hearing on charges of concealment and obstruction of justice Thursday in Mar del Plata
Argentine Federal Police escort Patricia Kadgien, daughter of a former Nazi official, to a hearing on charges of concealment and obstruction of justice, after authorities recovered a portrait of Contessa Colleoni by Italian artist Giuseppe Ghislandi from her home in Argentina
Kadgien’s husband, Juan Carlos Cortegoso, has also been charged.
The couple refused to testify during Thursday’s hearing and were set free.
However, authorities asked them to surrender their passports and prohibited any type of travel.
Police cautioned they are examining other valuables and painting found in the Kadgien home and did not rule out more charges pending the outcome of their investigation.
Kadgien has kept a low profile, as speculation her family had the stolen painting followed her for years.
Dutch journalists have tried to interview her since the painting was linked to her dad.
Attempts to reach her, and her sister Alicia Marie Kadgien, have proved unsuccessful.
In fact, a Dutch reporter found what appeared to be the original painting hanging over a sofa in a real estate listing by Kadgien’s daughter to sell a property.
The journalist traveled to the home in Argentina to try to interview her.
When she refused to answer the door, the reporter noticed a for sale sign on the property and went to the website of the real estate company.
There he discovered a photo of the living showing the artwork hanging over the sofa.
After his newspaper published the story, the story of the stolen painting made headlines all over the world.
Meanwhile, it appears that the real estate listing the Kadgien home has been taken down.
Kadgien, who once served as top Nazi official Herman Goering’s financial adviser, funded Third Reich war efforts through the theft of art and diamonds from Jewish dealers in the Netherlands.
Following the war, Kadgien fled Europe with the pilfered portrait, authorities believe.
He first went to Brazil, where he set up a company and then moved to Argentina, where he died in 1979.
