If I hadn't been on the committee and hadn't been in charge of getting paintings for the auction then I wouldn't donate one penny of my profit to the Church. If anything I'd find another Church and donate to them since they're not attempting to bully me into it.
But this guy's behavior smacks of fraud. I wouldn't have a clue that some ugly painting like that is worth anything. Investment? They *had* to believe it was worth more than the few thousand they were willing to spend. This "case" demands a proper investigation.
Why did they want to make sure they got the painting? Answer: Because they knew it was valuable.
Why did they send it to Sotheby's? Answer: Because they knew it was valuable and they needed a large art-specialty auction house to validate it's worth and get the highest bid.
Seems like fraud to me. If the guy had bought the painting by himself and held it for a couple of years, I would think differently. But his inside position, coupled with assembling a group of friends, and the almost immediate re-sale through Sotheby's, pretty much seals the deal as far as I am concerned.
I would be interested in how Hale was persuaded to part with the painting. I bet there was some chicanery there, too, since the family had owned it for 100 years.