Dr. Arnold Klein arrives at Dame Elizabeth Taylor's 75th birthday party at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas on February 27, 2007, in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The dermatologist for Michael Jackson was confronted by U.S. Marshals at his Palm Springs home this week, a spokeswoman told The Desert Sun on Friday.
Arnie Klein — known in Beverly Hills as “the Father of Botox” — had previously been ordered to turn over an extensive artwork collection and a Ferrari Spider as part of a bankruptcy case, according to authorities and media reports.
Investigators “spoke with Mr. Klein at his house” near downtown Palm Springs on Tuesday morning, spokeswoman Deputy Laura Veja told The Desert Sun.
“A warrant had been issued for his arrest for contempt of court, but they were actually able to visit with a civil warrant, not a criminal warrant,” she said.
“He gave the whereabouts of the locations of the missing things he was supposed to turn over, and they didn’t have to arrest him,” Veja continued.
A visitor takes a picture of paintings from Andy Warhol's series "Marilyn Monroe, 1967", on March 4, 2012, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Klein reportedly owns a print that was wanted by authorities. (NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images)
The art collection includes more than 100 pieces, including the famed Andy Warhol painting of Marilyn Monroe, TMZ.com has reported.
Veja did not say whether authorities now have the artwork in their possession.
A man who picked up the phone at Klein’s Palm Springs home identified himself as a personal assistant. Klein was not immediately available to comment, he said.
Palm Springs police spokesman Sgt. Mike Kovaleff said he was not aware of the Marshals’ visit.
Klein, 68, founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) as well as the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation with Taylor.
