Art-swindler sold two fake Andy Warhol paintings for $80,000

A Massachusetts man accused of murdering his wife has been sentenced for selling fake Andy Warhol paintings. 

Brian Walshe, 47, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for selling two fake Andy Warhol paintings for $80,000.

In court on Tuesday, Walshe was given the over-three-year sentence and ordered to pay $475,000 in restitution. 

The charges came about after a buyer found Walshe’s advertisement for two paintings from Andy Warhol’s famous ‘Shadows’ series and purchased them from the crook in 2016. 

However, after paying Walshe a staggering amount for the artwork, the buyer realized there were no Warhol Foundation authentication stamps on the paintings, as the seller promised there would be. 

The buyer also noticed that the paintings looked very different than how they were advertised on eBay, prompting them to realize the art was probably fake. 

The art swindler is accused of killing Ana, who was last seen January 1, 2023, at their Cohasset home, before dismembering and disposing her body. 

He is also accused of misleading a police investigation in connection with the death of his wife.

Walshe was initially indicted in 2018, before pleading guilty to wire fraud, interstate transportation for a scheme to defraud, possession of converted goods, and unlawful monetary transaction in 2021.

Walshe’s murder case is still pending and he is expected back in Norfolk Superior Court on March 4. 

‘These crimes were dangerous, bold, and harmful, both to the victims and the public as a whole,’ prosecutors said in court filings.

‘A sentence of imprisonment is necessary to punish the defendant for his crimes and to deter others from engaging in art fraud, an especially difficult crime to detect, investigate and prosecute.’

Walshe’s attorney, Tracy A. Miner, argued that Walshe should be sentenced to time served, due to a brief time he spent in prison when the case was initially filed.

Ron Rivlin, the owner of Revolver Gallery in Los Angeles – was the buyer who found Walshe selling two Andy Warhol paintings for $100,000 each in November, 2016.

On the listing, Walshe also included a photo of an invoice from the Warhol Foundation, where he claimed he bought the paintings, and which allegedly showed he paid $240,000 for them.

Walshe allegedly told Rivlin he was selling the works at a great loss in order to pay for home renovations.

Rivlin believed they were authentic and contacted Walshe in early November, arranging to purchase both paintings outside of eBay for $80,000.

The pair signed a contract, which explicitly stated that Rivlin had three days to get a full refund, according to the Massachusetts DA’s office.

On November 7, Rivlin’s assistant flew to Boston to collect the paintings and gave Walshe an $80,000 cashier’s check, which was deposited that day.

The next day, Rivlin unwrapped the paintings and found there were no authentication stamps on the back from the Warhol Foundation and that the canvasses looked new.

Next, he compared the paintings to the photographs on eBay and determined they were different.

After concluding the paintings in his possession were inauthentic, he made repeated attempts to contact Walshe.

The Herald reported that phone records show Rivlin called and texted Walshe from November 8 to 12, all of which went unanswered.

According to the DA’s office, when Walshe did reply, he made several excuses for not refunding the money immediately.

After Walshe refunded Rivlin just $30,000 of the $80,000, the gallery owner said he had he had contacted the FBI, according to the Herald.

Prosecutors say Walshe got hold of the paintings while visiting his friend in South Korea and convinced the man he could sell several pieces of art, including the works by Warhol, for a good price.

The victim agreed but then Walshe disappeared and the friend was unable to contact him. Eventually, a mutual friend retrieved some of the art.

Walshe is accused of murdering Ana in the basement of their home in Cohasset, Massachusetts, on January 1 in the early hours of the morning, then discarding her body in a dumpster. 

Walshe appeared in Norfolk County Superior Court in January 2023 where he pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, misleading police, obstruction of justice and improper conveyance of a human body. 

Walshe’s extensive Google searches about divorce, murder, dismemberment and decomposing bodies were revealed in court. 

He uttered just two words his 14-minute court appearance, saying ‘I do’ when asked by Judge Mark Coven if he understood the charges against him.

Ana’s remains have not been found, however, investigators revealed that they found a ‘small bone fragment’ on the hacksaw that Brian had allegedly dumped near Ana’s mother’s home in Swampscott, Massachusetts.