A well-known Coconut Grove art dealer and another South Florida man are facing federal charges for allegedly selling forged Andy Warhol artworks using fake invoices and phony authentication documents.
Leslie Roberts, 62, of Miami, who operated the Miami Fine Art Gallery in Coconut Grove, has been indicted on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering. His alleged co-conspirator, 37-year-old Carlos Miguel Rodriguez Melendez of Sunny Isles Beach, was also indicted on the wire fraud charge.
Federal prosecutors say Roberts falsely claimed to have acquired Warhol pieces directly from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. He allegedly provided forged invoices to back up his story, convincing victims that the artworks were authentic. Rodriguez Melendez is accused of posing as an employee of a New York auction house to support the deception and help legitimize the forgeries.
According to the indictment, Roberts laundered the proceeds from the fraudulent sales by transferring money from his gallery’s business account to his personal account. Prosecutors cited wire transfers totaling $240,000, including single transactions of $150,000, $40,000, and $50,000.
Roberts and Rodriguez Melendez were arrested on April 9 and made their initial appearance in federal court in Miami the same day. Both were released on bond and are scheduled to be arraigned on April 21.
If convicted of the wire fraud conspiracy, the defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison. If convicted of money laundering, Roberts faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
FBI Art Crime Team and FBI West Palm Beach investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman and Joshua Paster are prosecuting it.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture.
