Crime ‘I’m So Sorry for This Stupid Foolishness’: A Helsinki Deputy Mayor Was Busted Painting Graffiti in a Railway Tunnel It will cost the city a reported $3,830 to remove the mayor's handiwork. By Brian Boucher, Jun 29, 2023
Crime French Artist Claude Lévêque Has Been Indicted as More Accusers Come Forward Alleging the Artist Sexually Assaulted Them as Minors The charges mark the latest chapter in a multi-year investigation into Lévêque, who has been accused of abuse by as many as 10 victims. By Taylor Dafoe, Jun 28, 2023
Crime Italian Police Have Arrested Suspected Forger Pasquele ‘Lino’ Frongia for Allegedly Faking Paintings by Franz Hals, El Greco, and Others The forgery ring is believed to have been masterminded by French collector Giuliano Ruffini. By Sarah Cascone, Jun 28, 2023
Crime A Tourist Was Caught on Camera Defacing the Colosseum With His Keys. He Could Face Serious Legal Consequences A stranger filmed the identified man scratching the words “Ivan + Hayley ‘23” on the historic landmark. By Artnet News, Jun 26, 2023
Crime A California Man Is on Trial for Allegedly Importing an Ancient Roman Mosaic That Was Stolen From Syria The accused's lawyer now contends that the mosaic is actually a fake. By Sarah Cascone, Jun 20, 2023
Crime Federal Authorities Charge Nine in a Suspected Robbery Ring That Nabbed Two Artworks by Pollock and Warhol Worth Millions The thieves also stole nine of Yogi Berra's World Series Rings. By Sarah Cascone, Jun 16, 2023
Crime A Golden 15th-Century Altar Panel Is Returning to a Museum 44 Years After It Was Stolen, Thanks to a Keen-Eyed Auction Researcher The double-sided altar panel was slated to be sold at Duke’s Auctions. By Richard Whiddington, Jun 6, 2023
Crime Was History’s Worst Case of Dinosaur Vandalism a Museum-on-Museum Crime? A New Study Suggests It Could Be The 1871 crime saw models of dinosaurs, which were destined for a Paleozoic Museum in Central Park, smashed to bits. By Brian Boucher, Jun 6, 2023
Crime Germany Has Returned a 16th-Century Venetian Jewelry Box, Ancient Ceramics, and Other Stolen Artifacts to Italy Some of the precious artifacts were stolen in recent years from Italian museums. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Jun 6, 2023
Crime Italian Police Recover a Long-Lost Roman Marble Head Nearly 50 Years After Its Theft The precious antiquity was traced to a private collection in Switzerland. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Jun 1, 2023
Crime A Palm Beach Dealer Peddling Cheap Warhol and Basquiat Replicas for Millions Has Been Sentenced to Over Two Years in Prison The dealer has started paying back victims of his scam. By Sarah Cascone, May 31, 2023
Crime A Michigan Dealer Charged With Conning Collectors Out of More Than $1.6 Million Is Expected to Strike a Plea Deal The dealer, Wendy Beard, faked life-threatening health scares and invented fake employees to dodge payments to clients. By Taylor Dafoe, May 30, 2023
Crime Police in Italy Busted a Major Antiquities Trafficking Ring, Seizing Some 3,500 Relics in the Process Twenty-one suspects faces charges of criminal conspiracy, theft, and the illegal export of goods. By Artnet News, May 25, 2023
Crime A Disgruntled Florida Man Just Plowed His Car Into a $200,000 Blue Bunny Sculpture—His Second Time Vandalizing Public Art His latest victim was artist Hunt Slonem's 14-foot bunny. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, May 24, 2023
Crime A ‘5th-Century’ Vase, One of the 351 Artifacts Recently Repatriated to Greece, Is a Known Fake, Says a Forensic Archaeologist The characters on the vase's surface were likely painted in the 1990s. By Vittoria Benzine, May 24, 2023
