London Galleries Ordered to Return a $1.2 Million Chagall to a U.S. Collector Swindled by Disgraced Dealer Ezra Chowaiki

Crime

London Galleries Ordered to Return a $1.2 Million Chagall to a U.S. Collector Swindled by Disgraced Dealer Ezra Chowaiki

Chowaiki only handed over $900,000 of the $1.2 million purchase price to the client, pocketing the rest.

By Sarah Cascone, May 11, 2022

Crime

Hackers Created a Fake Yuga Labs Website to Trick Collectors Into Handing Over $6.2 Million Worth of Bored Apes and Other NFTs

The attack targeted users of the Otherside universe, a project created by Yuga Labs.

By Dorian Batycka, May 5, 2022

Crime

Ukrainian Officials Accuse Russian Forces of Looting Thousands of Priceless Gold Artifacts and Works of Art

Russian forces tracked down a collection of ancient gold in Melitopol that had been hidden in a cellar for safekeeping.

By Eileen Kinsella, May 2, 2022

Crime

The Feds Indict Two Detroit Brothers and a Florida Man in a Long-Running Forgery Scheme Peddling Fake Art and Sports Memorabilia

The men hawked works by purportedly by Gertrude Abercrombie, George Ault, and others from 2005 to 2020.

By Eileen Kinsella, Apr 27, 2022

Crime

Hackers Broke Into Bored Ape Yacht Club’s Official Instagram and Made Off With Nearly $3 Million Worth of Stolen NFTs

It's not the first time hackers have targeted apes.

By Eileen Kinsella, Apr 26, 2022

Crime

A Portrait Painter Helped Police Nab the Suspected NYC Subway Shooter, Crediting His Artist’s Eye in Spotting Him on the Street

Lee Vasu, a painter and the owner of Dacia Gallery, said he studied the suspect's face closely before happening to see him on the street.

By Katya Kazakina, Apr 13, 2022

Crime

Did Two Schoolteachers Pull Off the Heist of a Major de Kooning? A Documentary Explores Their Possible Double Lives

Jerry and Rita Alter and their apparent penchant for high-stakes art crime are the subject of a new documentary.

By Sarah Cascone, Apr 7, 2022

Crime

Inigo Philbrick’s Lawyers Make a Last-Ditch Appeal for Leniency, With Testimonials From Gilbert & George and a Camp Counselor

Seventeen friends and family members have written letters of support on the incarcerated dealer's behalf.

By Eileen Kinsella, Apr 4, 2022

Crime

U.S. Authorities Seized More Than $1 Million in Looted Asian Antiquities From Yale University

Many of the artifacts had been donated by the Rubin-Ladd Foundation, which acquired them from disgraced dealer Subhash Kapoor.

By Sarah Cascone, Apr 1, 2022

Crime

Two Looted Ancient Greek Statues, Including a Stunner That Was on View at the Met, Have Been Returned by the U.S. to Libya

The work from the Met, on loan from a private collection, had been on view since 1998.

By Sarah Cascone, Mar 31, 2022

International Authorities Seize Nearly 10,000 Illicit Cultural Artifacts and Make 52 Arrests in the Latest Wave of Crackdowns

Authorities have recovered 147,050 looted cultural goods since launching Operation Pandora in 2016.

By Sarah Cascone, Mar 10, 2022

Cybercriminals Hacked One of Italy’s Hottest Galleries—And Duped a German Collector Into Sending $33,000 to a Fake Account

More than a dozen collectors and advisors were contacted by someone pretending to be the directors of T293 gallery.

By Kate Brown, Feb 2, 2022

Crime