Florida art dealer gets nearly 4 years in prison for scheme to sell fake Andy Warhol artworks
New York Post • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Leslie Howard Roberts, a South Florida art dealer, was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for selling fake Andy Warhol artworks and must repay $2.6 million earned from the scheme.
- Roberts, owner of Miami Fine Art Gallery, falsely claimed the artworks were acquired from the Andy Warhol Foundation and used fraudulent invoices to deceive buyers.
- Carlos Rodriguez Melendez, involved in the conspiracy by falsely authenticating the forged artworks, pleaded guilty and received probation.
- Another dealer, Daniel Elie Bouaziz, was sentenced in 2023 to over two years in prison for selling fake Warhols and pleaded guilty to money laundering.
- The case highlights ongoing issues with art fraud involving counterfeit works attributed to the iconic pop artist Andy Warhol.
