Anthony B. Christensen, owner of Anthony's Antiques and Fine Art, is accused of knowingly buying a stolen painting from antique dealer John W. Pilcher, 66, of Salt Lake City. Both were arrested Monday and booked into Salt Lake County jail.

Four other people were arrested on suspicion of stealing at least $100,000 worth of paintings, Tiffany lamps, a Cloisonne jar and other antiques from homes in Salt Lake County in February.

Two other people remain at large, police say.

The arrests come after a five-month investigation, and more charges are expected, said Salt Lake City police spokesman Jeff Bedard. Burglaries in Summit County also have been linked to the case, police said.

"As the investigations continue, the snowball starts rolling and we're identifying more burglaries and more people involved," he said.

Shane Kennedy, 42, (Gerald) Kory Lloyd, 46, both of Salt Lake City, were charged with theft, burglary and receiving stolen property. Dennis Hobot, 41, and Sonny Gines, 24, were also arrested in connection with the burglaries, but formal charges were not available. All four were booked into the Salt Lake County jail Monday.

Carrie Lynn Galloway, 30, and Ricky Hepner, 28, of Salt Lake City, are wanted on arrest warrants for receiving stolen property and burglary in connection with the case.

The charges against Christensen, 62, of Bountiful, and Pilcher relate to two paintings stolen from a Salt Lake City home.

Pilcher is accused of buying a stolen painting for $1,000 in a "trunk-to-trunk transaction" in a parking lot of a Salt Lake City retail store. Court documents state Christensen bought the painting from Pilcher for $5,000, then offered to re-sell it for $30,000.

"I can't imagine he would knowingly purchase those things," said Michael Hennessey, co-owner of the antique shop C.G. Sparks. "He does antique stuff all over the world . . . He's very knowledgable, a straight shooter."

lwhitehurst@sltrib.com