The art enthusiast couldn’t believe what was hanging on the walls of a gallery in Palm Beach, Fla. — pieces by renowned artists, listed for unbelievably low prices.
The gallery’s owner offered that customer a deal — four original pieces by Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring and Henri Matisse, works the customer later described as the “holy grail,” all for $290,000 paid by credit card in April 2021.
According to federal prosecutors, the bargain was too good to be true.
Daniel Bouaziz, the gallery’s owner, appeared in federal court on Friday in the Southern District of Florida to face charges of fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors contend that pieces he represented as authentic works were cheap reproductions that Mr. Bouaziz bought through online auctions.
Mr. Bouaziz was charged after an investigation that included search warrants at his two galleries, a review of financial records and undercover purchases of what was determined to be fraudulent art, as well as evidence collected from six victims who had purchased art later deemed fraudulent.
In the case of the customer who purchased what they considered to be their “holy grail,” the artworks were presented to a gallery in New York, whose director said that something “looked off,” according to the federal complaint. The sizes of some of the pieces didn’t match the originals, and a few edition…
