A Miami art dealer has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for selling forged artwork attributed to Andy Warhol. Leslie Roberts, 62, pleaded guilty in June to conspiring to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme involving counterfeit Warhol pieces.
On October 2, U.S. District Judge Roy Altman sentenced Roberts to three years and 10 months in prison and ordered him to repay $2.6 million obtained through the fraudulent sales. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Roberts operated through his Miami gallery, falsely claiming that the works had been acquired from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. He fabricated invoices and authentication documents bearing counterfeit stamps to lend credibility to the forgeries.
Roberts also enlisted Carlos Rodriguez Melendez to impersonate an employee of a New York auction house, who provided false authentication for the artworks. Melendez has also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Jason Reding Quiñones, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, emphasized the significance of prosecuting Roberts to protect the integrity of the legitimate art market and safeguard buyers. “Art fraud undermines confidence in the legitimate art market and victimizes buyers who rely on the authenticity of the works they purchase,” Quiñones said. He added that the sentence "sends a clear message: fraud is fraud, whether it happens on Wall Street or in an art gallery."
This case is part of a broader trend of recent prosecutions involving forged Warhol artworks. In April, a New Jersey father and daughter, Erwin Bankowski and Karolina Bankowska, admitted to commissioning an artist in Poland to produce at least 200 counterfeit works attributed to Warhol, Banksy, and Pablo Picasso. Their scheme defrauded galleries and auction houses of approximately $2 million over multiple years. The Bankowskis face up to 20 years in prison and ordered restitution of at least $1.9 million.
The ongoing legal actions reflect heightened scrutiny of art market fraud, with authorities targeting individuals who exploit collectors’ trust and manipulate the perceived authenticity of high-value works.