MIAMI, FL — A Miami art dealer was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for selling forged Andy Warhol artwork and using fake documents to convince buyers the pieces were authentic, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
Leslie Roberts, 62, of Miami, was sentenced to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal prosecutors said.
Roberts operated Miami Fine Art Gallery in Coconut Grove, where he sold counterfeit artwork he falsely represented as original works by Warhol, the renowned pop artist, the DOJ said.
He told buyers he acquired the artwork directly from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and provided fraudulent invoices purportedly issued by the foundation.
He also used forged authentication documents bearing the name of the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board and purported signatures of authorized representatives, the DOJ said. Roberts used fraudulent identification numbers and counterfeit stamps to make the artwork appear genuine.
He enlisted Carlos Rodriguez Melendez to pose as an employee of a New York-based auction company and falsely authenticate the artwork, helping conceal the forgeries, prosecutors said. Rodriguez Melendez also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
"Leslie Roberts turned his Miami art gallery into a vehicle for fraud," U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in a statement. "He exploited the trust that collectors place in art dealers and the authenticity of the works they purchase. [This] 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."
The FBI Art Crime Team and FBI West Palm Beach investigated the case, which the U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted for the Southern District of Florida.
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