Art dealer faces two years in prison for selling fake Andy Warhol paintings

A court in the US sentenced an art dealer to two years and three months imprisonment on Tuesday (May 30) after he was found involved in a scheme which was aimed at the sale of fake Andy Warhol paintings.

Daniel Elie Bouaziz,69, was sentenced in Fort Pierce federal court in South Florida. In February, he pleaded guilty to a single count of money laundering, while prosecutors decided to drop 16 other counts which are related to embezzlement and fraud.

A fine of $15,000 was imposed on Bouaziz, and the court will hold a restitution hearing on August 16. Prosecutors stated that Palm Beach County's Danieli Fine Art and Galerie Danieli's owner Bouaziz sold counterfeit artworks in October 2021 to a customer, which included pieces purportedly by Warhol.

He also sold fake paintings by Keith Haring, Henri Matisse and Roy Lichtenstein.

The customer was told by Bouaziz that the pieces, which were being sold by him for prices ranging between $75,000 and $240,000, were all authentic originals and that some pieces have been signed by the artists themselves, stated investigators.

Officials stated that Bouaziz was made a down payment of $200,000 by the customer which was deposited into the account of Bouaziz, and then the comingled funds were transferred to other accounts. In reality, the paintings were reproductions purchased in online auctions.

Appeal for 'reasonable' sentence toBouaziz

The judge was appealed to give a “reasonable” sentence to Bouaziz, considering his age and poor health.

“While Bouaziz may (have) been generous to some, as countless people claim in their letters of support to this court, he was defrauding others,” stated Assistant US Attorney Sarah Schall.

“Bouaziz won people over with his philanthropy, high-end vehicles, ties to the local synagogue, invitations to lunch, history as an opera singer, art events and more,” he added.

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In a sentencing memorandum, federal prosecutors noted that Bouaziz “knew some of the pieces he sold were not genuine”. They added that, in one instance, he sold fraudulent art for $25,0000 to an undercover agent.

The prosecutors said that Bouaziz had won over many people in Palm Beach with his luxury cars, invitations to art events and lunch and his philanthropy. They added that Bouaziz's generosity belied a darker reality. “Bouaziz painted a picture of himself that he wanted others to see and believe,” they stated.

Bouaziz was charged in June after an investigation which involved serving search warrants at his galleries, reviewing his financial records as well as undercover purchases of what has been deemed to be fraudulent art.

(With inputs from agencies)

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