forgery

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Italian Cops Seize 21 Dalis, Say They're Not Dalis

Italian authorities seize works in Parma after tip from Dali Foundation

(Newser) - Italian police swooped in on a Salvador Dali exhibition in Parma this week, seizing 21 pieces they suspect aren't quite the real deal. The Carabinieri's art heritage unit collected tapestries, engravings, drawings, and assorted objects from the "Salvador Dali: Between Art and Myth" exhibit, all said...

Rare Manuscripts Swapped for Fakes at UCLA Library

Suspect allegedly used aliases when accessing the texts

(Newser) - A library patron is accused of pulling off a rare-books switcheroo at UCLA, according to the Justice Department. Authorities say Jeffrey Ying, 38, used a number of aliases while accessing valuable Chinese manuscripts—some more than six centuries old—then swapped them out for fakes. The real texts, reportedly...

So About That Odd Embassy in India....

Indian police arrest man, 47, for setting up fake embassy, duping people for money as a 'diplomat'

(Newser) - Indian police have arrested a man accused of running a bogus embassy from a rented residential building near the capital of New Delhi and recovered cars with fake diplomatic plates. The suspect impersonated an ambassador and allegedly duped people for money by promising overseas employment, said senior police officer Sushil...

Cops: Woman Has Posed as a Nurse Since COVID

Shannon Nicole Womack, 39, faces 43 counts in Pennsylvania alone

(Newser) - A woman accused of impersonating a nurse across several states faces a litany of charges after Pennsylvania authorities uncovered what they describe as an elaborate, five-year fraud operation that began during the COVID pandemic. Shannon Nicole Womack, 39, allegedly used at least 10 aliases—and possibly as many as...

An Art-World Expert Is Guilty in Forgery Scheme

Bill Pallot, 61, was sentenced Wednesday

(Newser) - A prominent French furniture expert and a respected restorer have been convicted in a major forgery case that shook the French art world . Bill Pallot, 61, once considered the leading authority on 18th-century French chairs, and Bruno Desnoues, a well-known restorer, were found guilty of producing and selling fakes....

Art Thief Behind Churchill Heist in Canada Is Sentenced

Jeffrey Wood stole a renowned photo of former British PM from a hotel

(Newser) - The man who pulled off a brazen art theft in Canada will spend the next two years behind bars. A judge in Ottawa sentenced Jeffrey Wood on Monday, reports the CBC . At some point during the pandemic, Woods stole a renowned photograph of Winston Churchill from Ottawa's Chateau...

Cops: 'Teen' on JV Teams at High School Was Actually 24

Venezuelan man allegedly used fake documents to join sports teams and classes in Ohio

(Newser) - A person that cops say is a 24-year-old Venezuelan man has been accused of enrolling at Perrysburg High School in Ohio under the guise of being an unaccompanied 16-year-old minor. Police say Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra attended the school for more than a year starting in January 2024, taking...

Forged Document Was Used to Approve Trump Hotel in Europe

Plans to transform former Yugoslav Defense Ministry building in Belgrade now up in the air

(Newser) - Plans for the first Trump International Hotel in Europe have been thrown into question after Serbian officials admitted the paperwork clearing the way for the project was forged. With political backlash mounting and legal charges filed, the future of the $500 million development, led by President Trump's son-in-law,...

Bachelor Star on 'Paternity Scheme': 'Nightmare Is Over'

Clayton Echard cheers felony charges against woman who sought child support

(Newser) - Clayton Echard, star of Season 26 of The Bachelor, says he never had sex with a woman who claimed she was pregnant with his children. But Arizona resident Laura Michelle Owens had more than just claims made under oath. The 34-year-old allegedly offered an ultrasound image and video she said...

Odd Clue in Alleged Art Forgery Scandal: Licorice

Bill Pallot's trial in France has begun

(Newser) - Bill Pallot authored the definitive book on the subject of 18th-century French chairs 40 years ago, and in the decade since became an art world celeb who authenticated chairs that were bought by the likes of Versailles and a Qatari prince. On Tuesday, the 61-year-old went on trial near Paris,...

After Theft, Roaring Lion Is Back Home

Portrait of Winston Churchill by Yousuf Karsh that was stolen a few years ago is now back in Ottawa

(Newser) - A stolen portrait of Winston Churchill that was swapped with a forgery during the pandemic has returned to its rightful place, after two Ottawa police detectives traveled to Rome to retrieve it. Police said The Roaring Lion was stolen from the Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa, sometime between Christmas...

Fake Art Bust: 'There Was Nothing Real... It Was Absurd'

Italian officials announce bust of art forgery ring

(Newser) - Had the 450 works been sold at auction, the could have pulled in $265 million. Not bad for a bunch of fakes. Italian officials say they've carried out one of the biggest busts of counterfeit art in the last 15 years, seizing some 2,100 pieces painted by European...

New Development in Mystery Over Bolsonaro's Vax Status

Brazilian authorities say anti-vax former president's records showing he'd been vaxxed were falsified

(Newser) - Jair Bolsonaro has long minimized COVID-19, as well as health and safety measures taken against the virus, including vaccination. Yet confusingly, records show that the former Brazilian president received a COVID shot more than two years ago, apparently to help him circumvent travel restrictions and other rules that required he...

She Told Classmates She Was 16. Police Say She Was 32

Former social worker accused of posing as a student at 3 Boston high schools

(Newser) - Students at Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Boston say the classmate they knew as Daniella chose the jersey number 32 when she joined the girls' basketball team. They didn't realize that was also her age. Investigators say former social worker Shelby Hewitt posed as a student at three...

Leonard Cohen's Kids: Dad's Ex-Manager Fiddled With Trust

Heirs say Robert Kory and his attorney swapped in forged paperwork after their father had died

(Newser) - Leonard Cohen died more than six years ago, at the age of 82, but the battle over his $48 million estate continues. It's the "Hallelujah" singer-songwriter's adult children, Adam Cohen and Lorca Cohen, versus his former manager, Robert Kory, who is the manager of Cohen's trust,...

He Looked at Galileo 'Treasure' Online, Grew Concerned

University of Michigan confirms its Galileo manuscript is fake

(Newser) - The University of Michigan Library touted a single piece of paper as one of its "great treasures." The draft of a letter signed with the name Galileo Galilei was followed by sketches of the moons Galileo observed around Jupiter in 1610, an observation that upended the long-held notion...

This Ex-Bank CEO's Expense Report Was Eyebrow-Raising

Former Raiffeisen chief Pierin Vincenz gets nearly 4 years in prison after $214K in strip club bills

(Newser) - A former "banker of the year" in Switzerland used his company credit card to pay for a Tinder date, a trip to Australia, and $214,000 in bills from strip clubs, according to testimony heard in a Zurich court before Pierin Vincenz was sentenced Wednesday to nearly four years...

Notorious Forgers Explain Themselves: 'We Got a Kick Out of It’

Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi collected millions before they went to prison

(Newser) - Wolfgang Beltracchi, notorious forger of 20-century art, had standards. "I have to create something beautiful," he said. "I want to make people happy." With their prison sentences served, Beltracchi and his wife and forgery partner, Helene, have discussed their life of art crimes with Jeannette Fischer,...

Cops: Wife Told Husband He Had Alzheimer's, Stole $600K
Cops: Wife Duped Husband for
Years, to the Tune of $600K
in case you missed it
Oct 31, 2021 8:45 AM CDT

Cops: Wife Duped Husband for Years, to the Tune of $600K

Donna Marino's spouse didn't have Alzheimer's but she made him think he did to control his money

(Newser) - For two decades, a Connecticut man says he let his wife handle virtually all of his finances for him, a move he apparently felt even more necessary once he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. At least, he thought he'd been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. East Haven police say that'...

Group 'Destroys' $20K Warhol Sketch by Hiding It Amid Fakes

MSCHF stunt meant to 'destroy any future confidence in the veracity of the work'

(Newser) - The art collective that brought you Lil Nas X's Satan Shoes says it's latest stunt involved "destroying" a one-of-a kind Andy Warhol sketch. Brooklyn-based MSCHF (pronounced "mischief") acquired Warhol's "Fairies," a 1954 minimalist ink sketch of three nude fairies playing with a...

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