A fraudster who attempted to sell counterfeit ancient statues to a renowned auction house was exposed after his forged invoices were found to use printing techniques that did not exist at the time they were supposedly written.
The Attempted Fraud
Andrew Crowley, 46, from Longwell Green, Gloucestershire, approached Sotheby's to value three Cycladic figures and one Anatolian stargazer statuette, which he claimed he had inherited from his grandfather. The case was heard at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.
Prosecutors alleged that, if genuine, the items would have been worth approximately £680,000 based on previous sales. However, Judge Nicholas Rimmer noted that the estimate relied on multiple hypotheticals and reduced the value to £340,000.
The Forgery Uncovered
Crowley presented fake invoices purporting to be from 1976, typed on paper embossed with an antique dealer's logo and even featuring a nine-pence stamp. However, forensic analysis revealed that the documents were created using printing methods invented only in 2001.
Sotheby's experts also identified numerous spelling errors, including in the supplier's name.
Handing Crowley a two-year suspended sentence, the judge remarked: "It was a crude attempt because Sotheby's rumbled, to use the vernacular, or spotted, these documents as bogus fairly early on."
Inheritance and Sentencing
The judge accepted that Crowley had indeed inherited the statues from his grandfather and did not believe them to be forgeries. The Cycladic statues, each about 30cm tall and weighing 1kg, are replicas of legitimate artifacts from the Cyclades islands in Greece, dating back around 3,000 years to the Bronze Age.
Consequently, the judge stated: "The offending and dishonesty in this case must turn around the paperwork."
Crowley had previously admitted to dishonestly making a false representation to Sotheby's with the intent to gain between November 4, 2022, and July 27, 2023. He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,630 in costs over three months.
Industry Response
Detective Constable Ray Swan, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, said: "This case also highlights the crucial role played by industry experts in helping to protect the integrity of the London art market. Sotheby's staff acted responsibly and swiftly in raising their concerns, and their cooperation was instrumental in preventing a significant fraud."
A spokesperson for the auction house praised the police's "meticulous and superbly executed investigation that has helped prevent fraudulent material entering the market."
