According to the United States attorney, the Southern District, Angel Pereda, 49, was arrested in New York City for trying to sell fake art he claimed to have been created by famous artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat or Keith Haring.
Authorities claim that Pereda tried to make art look authentic by inventing ownership histories or falsifying provenance. He was brought down by a sting. Pereda approached auction houses in New York to buy artworks that he claimed were created by Basquiat or Haring.
Audrey Strauss, Manhattan U.S. attorney, stated in a statement that the Friday arrest was made "if real", The alleged fakes are of little or no use, other than as evidence of the crime.
Courtesy of the Department of Justice
The Keith Haring Foundation found that a yellow vase, and a painting in bright colors were not genuine Harings. The FBI tracked the pieces back to Pereda. According to an FBI agent's recently unsealed affidavit, they then received cooperation from an intermediary vendor. Pereda was told by the seller that a painting had been identified as fake due to its falsified provenance records. Pereda could send new provenance information to the seller and he would still try to sell the painting for $6 million. Pereda agreed to do so and sent the newly falsified document via WhatsApp.
Two paintings in Haring's style, with their signature motifs of barking dogs and three eye monsters, were among those included. Pereda also claimed that a vase filled with similar imagery was one of the works.
Courtesy of the Department of Justice
Unnamed employees from auction houses were cited in the complaint as having made allegations about Haring works that had been faked. They were confirmed by Keith Haring Foundation that the works were fakes.
The FBI filed a new unsealed complaint in the Southern District Court of New York June 29. It accused Pereda of trying sell a Basquiat painting he called Glory Boys Kingdom. Unnamed New Yorker working for the FBI was allegedly offered it at $6 million. Pereda was told by the individual that the painting was fake and that he would create a "new fictitious provenance".
At auction, paintings by Haring and Basquiat often fetch millions of dollars. Collectors love them and dealers consider them highly valuable.
