jon0
New Member
Posts โข 137
Likes โข 0
July 2007
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Busted
Apr 9, 2008 16:21:44 GMT 1
Busted, by jon0 on Apr 9, 2008 16:21:44 GMT 1, Mar 20, 2008, 7:21 GMT
Washington - Seven international art dealers and distributors have been charged with selling thousands of counterfeit prints from artists including Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall and Andy Warhol to unsuspecting customers, making more than 5 million dollars in the process, US authorities said Wednesday.
The defendants, in two separate but related schemes, sold what they claimed were limited edition fine art prints for prices 'substantially in excess' of their actual worth, according to the Justice Department.
The supposedly rare prints were acquired from distributors based in Spain, Italy and New York, and were sold by art dealers in Illinois and Florida, via internet auction site eBay and other means over an eight-year period.
The Justice Department said the dealers were well aware they were acquiring counterfeit pieces, complete with forged signatures of the artists to be sold as limited edition works. All seven people were charged with multiple counts of fraud in the Northern District Court of Illinois.
The US said it would seek the extradition of two of the distributors: Oswaldo Aulestia-Bach, 62, of Barcelona, and Elio Bonfiglioli, 53, of Monsummano, Italy.
'Con artists should not be confused with master artists,' Patrick Fitzgerald, attorney for the Northern District Court of Illinois, said in a statement. 'These indictments are important because they extend across international borders from one end of the supply chain to the other.'
The works were sold to customers in the US, Europe, Canada, Australia and Japan, the Justice Department said.
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Mar 20, 2008, 7:21 GMT
Washington - Seven international art dealers and distributors have been charged with selling thousands of counterfeit prints from artists including Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall and Andy Warhol to unsuspecting customers, making more than 5 million dollars in the process, US authorities said Wednesday.
The defendants, in two separate but related schemes, sold what they claimed were limited edition fine art prints for prices 'substantially in excess' of their actual worth, according to the Justice Department.
The supposedly rare prints were acquired from distributors based in Spain, Italy and New York, and were sold by art dealers in Illinois and Florida, via internet auction site eBay and other means over an eight-year period.
The Justice Department said the dealers were well aware they were acquiring counterfeit pieces, complete with forged signatures of the artists to be sold as limited edition works. All seven people were charged with multiple counts of fraud in the Northern District Court of Illinois.
The US said it would seek the extradition of two of the distributors: Oswaldo Aulestia-Bach, 62, of Barcelona, and Elio Bonfiglioli, 53, of Monsummano, Italy.
'Con artists should not be confused with master artists,' Patrick Fitzgerald, attorney for the Northern District Court of Illinois, said in a statement. 'These indictments are important because they extend across international borders from one end of the supply chain to the other.'
The works were sold to customers in the US, Europe, Canada, Australia and Japan, the Justice Department said.
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jon0
New Member
Posts โข 137
Likes โข 0
July 2007
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Busted
Apr 9, 2008 16:22:50 GMT 1
Busted, by jon0 on Apr 9, 2008 16:22:50 GMT 1, just realised -- for you city slickers out there- this is probably OLD NEWS... apologies if already seen on here..
just realised -- for you city slickers out there- this is probably OLD NEWS... apologies if already seen on here..
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Michael Jacob
Artist
Junior Member
Posts โข 2,049
Likes โข 29
October 2006
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Busted
Apr 9, 2008 16:33:15 GMT 1
Busted, by Michael Jacob on Apr 9, 2008 16:33:15 GMT 1, id like to know their ebay account names
id like to know their ebay account names
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