Leslie Roberts, a Miami art dealer, received a sentence of three years and ten months in federal prison on October 2 for selling forged Andy Warhol works. According to the Guardian, Roberts admitted to creating fraudulent invoices and authentication documents to trick buyers into purchasing the fakes through his Miami art gallery, claiming he had acquired the artwork from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts (AWF).
Roberts pleaded guilty in June to conspiring to commit wire fraud. In addition to prison time, he has been ordered by US District Judge Roy Altman to repay the nearly $2.6 million he earned through the deception.
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“He exploited the trust that collectors place in art dealers and the authenticity of the works they purchase,” US Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement. “Today’s 46-month prison sentence sends a clear message: fraud is fraud, whether it happens on Wall Street or in an art gallery. Those who profit through deception will be held accountable.”
In producing counterfeit authentication documents, Roberts forged the signatures of the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board’s authorized representatives and used fraudulent AWF identification numbers. He enlisted Carlos Rodriguez Melendez to pose as an employee of a New York–based auction company and to falsely authenticate artwork to conceal that it was forged. Rodriguez Melendez also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
“Art fraud undermines confidence in the legitimate art market and victimizes buyers who rely on the authenticity of the works they purchase,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “This sentence demonstrates that those who use forged artwork, fraudulent documentation, and deceptive schemes to profit illegally will be held accountable.”