They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but not in the art world — particularly when it means duping unsuspecting collectors.
Kristine Eubanks, 52, of La Canada, Calif., was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to seven years in prison for selling through a televised auction fake art by such legends as Picasso, Dali and Chagall, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess, during sentencing, called the multimillion-dollar fraud scheme “audacious in its scope” and “blatantly illegal.”
Kristine Eubanks, 52, is serving time for what a judge called an “audacious” scheme to sell forged pieces of art like this fake Marc Chagall painting.
Authorities charged that the scam was run through a company called Fine Art Treasures Gallery, which operated an art auction on Friday and Saturday nights on DirectTV and the Dish Network from 2002 to 2006.
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