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Seven Years After Sales, Art Dealer Indicted for Fraud

August 12, 2012 by Marion Maneker

The Hartford Courant reports on the 12-count indictment against a Connecticut art dealer for $225,000 in fraudulent sales:

The FBI arrested David J. Crespo, owner of the Brandon Art Gallery on the Boston Post Road, in April for selling so-called Picassos. The indictment formalizes the charges and adds additional frauds involving the Chagalls, one of which Crespo, 58, allegedly sold to an undercover FBI agent.

The indictment accuses Crespo of repeated art fraud from 2005 to 2001. In addition to selling cheap reproductions as originals or signed lithographs, Crespo is accused of creating phony documents attesting to the authenticity and insurance value of the so-called art.

Grand Jury Hits Art Dealer with Fraud Indictment (Hartford Courant)

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Filed Under: Fraud, Theft & Restitution

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