The Art of the Con: The Most Notorious Fakes, Frauds, and Forgeries in the Art World (29 page)

16.
Direct examination of Julian Radcliffe:
Mardirosian.

17.
Ibid.

18.
Ibid.

19.
Ibid.

20.
Ibid.

21.
Direct examination of Michael Bakwin:
Mardirosian,
August 12, 2008.

22.
Michel Strauss,
Pictures, Passions and Eye: A Life at Sotheby’s
(London: Halban Publishers, 2011), eBook, Chapter 15.

23.
Ibid.

24.
Ibid.

25.
Ibid.

26.
Cross-examination of Michael Bakwin:
Mardirosian,
August 12, 2008; affidavit of Michael Bakwin:
Mardirosian.

27.
Direct examination of Julian Radcliffe:
Mardirosian.

28.
Indictment:
Mardirosian.

29.
Voss, “ Lost Cezanne,” 127, 152.

30.
Affidavit of Geoffrey J. Kelly, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation, May 4, 2006 in
Mardirosian.

31.
Geoffrey Kelly, e-mail interview, August 18, 2014.

32.
Jonathan Mitchell, interview, May 12, 2014, New Bedford, Massachusetts.

33.
Ibid.

34.
“Falmouth Police Seek Suspect after Drugs, Guns Seized,”
Cape Cod Today,
February 9, 2007, retrieved June 7, 2014,
http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2007/02/09/14300-bus-crash-suspect-sought-after-drugs-firearms-seized-overturned-car-prompts
.

35.
Ryan DiSantis, e-mail interview, September 22, 2014.

36.
Mitchell, interview.

37.
DiSantis, e-mail interview.

38.
Voss, “Lost Cezanne,” 152.

39.
Kelly, e-mail interview.

Chapter 7: The Double Dealer

1.
Multiple attempts to contact Ely Sakhai for an interview for this book were made through his social media profiles to no avail.

2.
Barry Fitzgerald and Caroline Overington, “Strait Man Paints Dubious Oil Picture,”
Sydney Morning Herald
(Australia), December 1, 2004, Business section, 23.

3.
“ICE Returns Painting Stolen during Holocaust,” press release, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, December 1, 2009, retrieved August 21, 2014,
ice.gov/news/releases/0912/091201brussels.htm
.

4.
Christie’s Lot Notes, “Sale 2864, Lot 69,
Anto Carte,
” Impressionist and Modern Art sale, Christie’s, May 24, 2011, retrieved August 25, 2014,
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/anto-carte-nude-5434675-details.aspx
.

5.
Noah Lederman, “Undercover Avenger,”
Jerusalem Post,
July 9, 2010, retrieved August 26, 2014,
http://www.jpost.com/Features/Magazine-Features/Undercover-avenger
.

6.
Ibid.

7.
Ibid.

8.
Christopher Marinello, e-mail interview, September 30, 2014.

9.
“The Art of Double Dealing,”
Masterminds,
truTV, episode 51, original airdate September 29, 2007.

10.
Michael Day, “Modigliani ‘Expert’ Accused of Being Art’s Biggest Fraud,”
The Independent,
January 23, 2013, retrieved August 28, 2014,
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/modigliani-expert-accused-of-being-arts-biggest-fraud-8463883.html
.

11.
“Christian Parisot Arrested: Modigliani Institute President Involved in Forgery Investigation,”
The Huffington Post,
January 14, 2013,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/14/modigliani-institute-president-christian-parisot-arrested-in-forgery-investigation_n_2472622.html
; retrieved December 31, 2014. Parisot has an appeal pending from this conviction.

12.
“The Art of Double Dealing,”
Masterminds.

13.
Jane A. Levine, “Case Study of Federal Criminal Investigation and Prosecution Involving Art Forgery,” paper presented to ABA Panel, “Fakes & Forgeries: Problems for the International Trade in Art Works,” April 6, 2006, 4,
http://apps.americanbar.org/intlaw/calendar/spring2006/papers/Levine_221.pdf
.

14.
“The Art of Double Dealing,”
Masterminds.

15.
Clive Thompson, “How to Make a Fake,”
New York Magazine,
n.d., retrieved August 30, 2014,
http://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/features/9179/
.

16.
“The Art of Double Dealing,”
Masterminds.

17.
Ibid.

18.
Robert Mendick, “I Churn out Lowrys to Sell on eBay for Thousands, Amateur Artist Admits,”
Telegraph,
July 6, 2014, retrieved October 4, 2014,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/10948800/I-churn-out-fake-Lowrys-to-sell-on-eBay-for-thousands-amateur-artist-admits.html
.

19.
Memorandum Order: Takeuchi v. Sakhai, 05 Civ. 6925 (JSR), at 2 (S.D.N.Y., January 16, 2006).

20.
Affidavit in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment: Takeuchi v. Sakhai, 05 CIV 6925 (JSR) at 2 (S.D.N.Y., January 16, 2006).

21.
Ibid.
Author’s note:
Corrections to the ellipses have been made to this excerpt, as the original document uses six dots rather than the standard three.

22.
Ibid.

23.
Memorandum Order:
Takeuchi.

24.
Ibid.

25.
Levine, “Case Study of Federal Criminal Investigation and Prosecution Involving Art Forgery,” 5.

26.
Sylvie Crussard, e-mail interview, September 8, 2014.

27.
Ibid.

28.
Thompson, “How to Make a Fake.”

29.
Will Bennett, “Two Versions of Gauguin Work on Sale at Same Time,”
Telegraph,
March 12, 2004, retrieved September 7, 2014,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1456587/Two-versions-of-Gauguin-work-on-sale-at-same-time.html
.

30.
“The Art of Double Dealing,”
Masterminds.

31.
Ibid.

32.
Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held November 12, 2004, Australian-Canadian Oil Royalties Ltd., retrieved September 14, 2014,
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1061288/000106128804000005/proxy_statement.txt
.

33.
Levine, “Case Study of Federal Criminal Investigation and Prosecution Involving Art Forgery,” Page 5.

Chapter 8: The Bait and Switch

1.
Gabrielle Schickler, “Faberge and Forbes: A History of Collecting,”
Forbes,
January 8, 2004, retrieved July 21, 2014,
http://www.forbes.com/2004/01/08/cz_gs_0108fabergehistory.html
.

2.
Arthur Lubow, “Malcolm Forbes,”
People,
July 19, 1982, retrieved July 20, 2014,
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,20082678,00.html
.

3.
David Hay, “Jacks of All Trades,”
Elements of Style Living,
December 2005, retrieved July 20, 2014,
http://www.apelocruz.com/in-media.html
.

4.
The description of Cruz’s involvement in Khan’s scheme comes from the Federal Sentencing Memorandum: United States v. Tatiana Khan, CR-10-00152-R (C.D. Cal.)

5.
Defendant Tatiana Khan’s Objection to the Pre-sentence Report and Sentencing Position Paper:
Khan.
October 4, 2010.

6.
Throughout the documents outlining the criminal investigation and court proceedings related to Khan, the identities of her victims were protected and typically referred to as “J.K.” and “V.S.” In the affidavit of FBI special agent Linda English, the names “Jack” and “Vic” are referenced as clients of Khan’s; hence, the use of these names to identify these individuals.

7.
Khan,
op. cit. Subsequent unattributed quotes are from this source.

8.
Government’s Revised Combined: (1) Response to Defendant’s Objections to the Pre-sentence Report; and (2) Position re Sentencing; Declaration of Ranee A. Katzenstein; Exhibits:
Khan.

9.
Enrique Mallen, ed. On-line Picasso Project, Sam Houston State University, retrieved 2014,
https://picasso.shsu.edu/
.

10.
Enrique Mallen, director and editor of On-line Picasso Project, e-mail interview, July 28, 2014.

11.
Ibid.

12.
Affidavit of FBI Special Agent Linda English:
Khan.

13.
Ibid.

14.
Mallen, e-mail interview.

15.
Mallen, On-line Picasso Project.

16.
George Stolz, “Authenticating Picasso,”
ARTnews,
January 2, 2013, retrieved July 27, 2014,
http://www.artnews.com/2013/01/02/authenticating-picasso/
.

17.
Ibid.

18.
Rob Cooper, “Picasso Is the Most Often Stolen Artist in the World with More Than 1,000 Pieces of His Work Missing,”
Daily Mail,
January 27, 2012, retrieved July 27, 2014,
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2092698/Pablo-Picasso-stolen-artist-world-1k-pieces-work-missing.html
.

19.
For an excellent telling of Picasso as a suspect in the theft of the Mona Lisa, see R. A. Scotti’s
Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa.

20.
Joshua Knelman,
Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives Through the Secret World of Stolen Art
(Canada: Douglas &McIntyre, 2011), 10–11.

21.
Linda English, interview with author, August 29, 2014.

22.
Ibid.

23.
Ibid.

24.
Ibid.

25.
Ibid.

26.
Ibid.

27.
Ibid.

28.
“West Hollywood Antiques Dealer Faces Charges of Selling Fake Picasso Drawing for $2 Million,” press release no. 10-003, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, January 8, 2010,
http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/pr2010/003.html
.

29.
Defendant Tatiana Khan’s Objections to the Pre-sentence Report and Sentencing Position Paper:
Khan,
October 4, 2010.

30.
Mark Mermelstein, Mary Kelly Persyn, and Harry J. Moren, “Strategic Remedies for Cybercrime Victims,”
Journal of Internet Law
16, no. 12 (June 2013): 24, retrieved from Orrick Law Firm website, July 26, 2014,
http://www.orrick.com/Events-and-Publications/Documents/Strategic-Remedies-For-Cybercrime-Victims.pdf
.

Chapter 9: The Printmaker

1.
Michael Granberry, “Celebrate Chagall at Passover,” Art Notes,
Dallas Morning News,
March 24, 2013, Arts & Life section, E04.

2.
“Pope Francis: 20 Things You Didn’t Know,”
Telegraph,
March 14, 2013, retrieved July 31, 2014,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/orldnews/the-pope/9931413/Pope-Francis-20-things-you-didnt-know.html
.

3.
Marc Chagall,
My Life,
trans. Elisabeth Abbott (Boston: Da Capo Press, 1994), 17.

4.
Benjamin Harshav,
Marc Chagall and His Times
(Redwood City, CA: Stanford University Press, 2003), 827.

5.
Christie’s Auction Results, Sale 2475, Lot 20, 25-26 October 2011, New York, Rockefeller Plaza, retrieved July 31, 2014,
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/prints-multiples/marc-chagall-the-story-of-exodus-leon-5488965-details.aspx
.

6.
Hillel Levin, “Confessions of Art Fraud King Michael Zabrin,”
Chicago,
October 25, 2011, retrieved August 2, 2014,
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/November-2011/Confessions-of-Art-Fraud-King-Michael-Zabrin/
.

7.
Decision, United States v. Hilda Amiel et al, Nos. 1021, 1022 and 751, U.S. Court of Appeals, (2nd Cir., September 5, 1996).

8.
Lee Catterall,
The Great Dalí Art Fraud and Other Deceptions
(Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 1992), 343–44.

9.
Definitions of the three categories of lithographs and serigraphs are derived from United States v. Donald Austin, no. 94-2541 (7th Cir. May 5, 1995).

10.
Selwyn Raab, “Fighting Fake Art: Victims’ Shame and Muddled Law; Where the Art Is Selling,” Metropolitan Desk,
New York Times,
July 23, 1987, B1.

11.
Francis X. Clines, “Van Gogh Sets Auction Record: $39.9 Million,”
New York Times,
March 31, 1987, retrieved August 2, 2014,
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/31/arts/van-gogh-sets-auction-record-39.9-million.html
.

12.
Raab, “Fighting Fake Art.”

13.
Douglas C. McGill, “Fake Art Prints: Big Business Getting Bigger,” Metropolitan Desk,
New York Times,
July 22, 1987, A1.

14.
Ibid.

15.
Mary Abbe Martin, “Art Experts Flummoxed by Fake Salvador Dalí Prints,”
Telegraph,
August 13, 1987, 29.

16.
Ibid.

17.
McGill, “Fake Art Prints.”

18.
United States v. Hilda Amiel et al., nos. 1021, 1022, and 751, dockets 95-1286, 95-1287, and 95-1288 (2nd. Cir. September 5, 1996).

19.
The details and the quotes about the fraud perpetrated by the Amiels under Hilda, Kathryn, Joanne, and Sarina are derived from the evidence presented at trial as set forth in
Amiel.

20.
Kniebihler’s testimony as described in judges’ decision in
Amiel.

21.
Ibid.

22.
Ibid.

23.
Catterall,
The Great Dalí Art Fraud and Other Deceptions,
353.

24.
Robert E. Kessler, “The Artful Dodgers? 4 Arrested in Huge Counterfeit Print Ring in Island Park,”
Newsday
(New York), January 31, 1992, 5.

25.
United Press International, “Government Investigating Fake Art Chain,”
Washington News,
January 30, 1992.