Daniel Bouaziz, art dealer from Palm Beach (Florida), has been handed a 27-month prison sentence, along with three years of subsequent probation, for his involvement in a money laundering scheme centered around the sale of counterfeit contemporary artworks.
These fraudulent pieces included works attributed to renowned artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Banksy. According to the indictment, Bouaziz’s enterprises would purchase inexpensive reproductions from online auction sites and pass them off as authentic originals at exorbitant prices. To lend an air of legitimacy, he provided falsified provenance documents and employed deceptive tactics such as false assertions and appraisals. The documents included a stamped signature block indicating “Daniel Bouaziz, Certified International Fine Art Appraiser,” as stated by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida in 2022.
One notable example of the counterfeit works sold by Bouaziz’s gallery was a supposed “Basquiat” painting that he acquired for $495 on LiveAuctioneers, subsequently selling it to an undercover FBI agent for $12 million. The Basquiat estate’s authentication committee, which has since been disbanded, confirmed that the painting was indeed a forgery, according to the criminal complaint affidavit.
Daniel Bouaziz faced additional allegations of selling multiple artworks falsely attributed to Andy Warhol, complete with forged signatures by the artist, with prices ranging from $75,000 to $240,000. Furthermore, he sold a “Roy Lichtenstein” print to an undercover agent for $25,000.
Also Read: Israel Authorities Retrieve Almost Two Millennia Old Ossuaries For Safekeeping
Authorities were alerted to the scheme after Bouaziz’s clients began demanding refunds for their purchases, which were met with no success. The criminal complaint noted that some victims who had expressed concerns about the authenticity of their acquired artworks received partial reimbursements from Daniel Bouaziz. The Algeria-born dealer got into further trouble when his Palm Beach gallery, Danieli Fine Art, was raided by the FBI in December 2021. In May 2022, he was arrested by the FBI. In addition to his prison sentence, Bouaziz has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine.
