PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Palm Beach art dealer, whose gallery was raided by federal investigators last year, was indicted Wednesday in connection with a scheme to sell forged high-end artwork.
Federal investigators revealed in May that Daniel Elie Bouaziz schemed to sell paintings and other artwork that he falsely marketed for sale as original or authentic pieces by prominent artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Banksy and Roy Lichtenstein.
Bouaziz is accused of mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
The indictment alleges that the fraudulent art that Bouaziz purchased was picked up from his South Florida galleries, mailed by commercial interstate carrier and hand-delivered to his victims.
"Bouaziz purchased and acquired pieces from various sources, to include online auction sites at low prices, and falsely sold the pieces as originals, at drastically increased prices, at his retail art galleries on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Florida," investigators said in a Wednesday statement.
To make the fraudulent art appear authentic, the feds said that Bouaziz made false representations to prospective buyers regarding the provenance and originality of the art.
To support these false statements, investigators said Bouaziz:
- Provided prospective buyers with invoices and documents that included false provenance information
- Omitted descriptors that were included with low-cost online purchases, to include "after" and "reproduction" language
- Sold prospective buyers pieces on which false edition numbers and artists' signatures had been added
- Provided prospective buyers with certificates of authenticity that included false assertions and appraisals which had a stamped signature block that read "Daniel Bouaziz, Certified International Fine Art Appraiser."
They also said that Bouaziz committed money laundering by engaging in transactions in the criminally derived property.
Bouaziz, who has pleaded not guilty to charges, was not in federal court Wednesday.
His lawyer moved to get Bouaziz’s $92,000 Lamborghini and some of the artwork seized returned to his client.
If you believe you have been a victim of art fraud, you are urged to contact the FBI's Art Crime Team at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
