2023-10-13 15:52:51
Four people suspected of having carried out “large-scale trafficking in fake works of contemporary art” around two galleries were indicted in Nice, announced the public prosecutor, Damien Martinelli, Friday October 13.
The traffic took place, between 2019 and 2023, around these two art galleries “having a storefront while having no legal existence”one in Nice and the other in the village of Saint-Paul de Vence (Alpes-Maritimes), a popular place for artists in the 20th century, the prosecutor said in a press release.
According to the first elements of the investigation, the damage concerns “several hundred thousand euros”, with galleries and art lovers both French and foreign among the victims. During the searches, five vehicles, a boat, five luxury watches and 90,000 euros in cash were seized.
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“Organized gang fraud”
The four people accused were brought before the courts as part of a judicial investigation opened for “organized gang fraud, aggravated money laundering, criminal conspiracy, organized gang counterfeiting, forgery and use of forgery” as well as ” hidden work “.
“Requisitions for placement in pre-trial detention” were also taken, noted the prosecution, which specified that a “maximum penalty of ten years of imprisonment is incurred for this type of act”.
The investigation was opened in December 2022, in collaboration with the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property (OCTBC) and the Marseille research section.
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