Miami Art Dealer Leslie Roberts Indicted for Alleged Forgery Scheme

Coconut Grove art dealer and Miami Fine Art Gallery owner Leslie Roberts has been charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering for allegedly participating in a scheme to sell forged Andy Warhol art using fake and fraudulent invoices, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida announced on Thursday. FBI agents raided the gallery on Wednesday, with local TV cameras capturing them hauling out large boxes of evidence.

In a press release, federal prosecutors say Roberts fraudulently represented the art as authentic Warhol pieces by telling victims that he purchased the artwork directly from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Roberts also allegedly provided fake invoices to victims.

Another man, Carlos Miguel Rodriguez Melendez, a 37-year-old Sunny Isles resident, allegedly posed as an employee from a New York-based auction company to fraudulently authenticate the forged artwork. The 37-year-old was also charged as part of the scheme. Prosecutors charged a third defendant whose name is redacted in the indictment.

"The indictment also alleges that Roberts engaged in money laundering, transferring wire fraud proceeds from his Miami Fine Art Gallery bank account to a personal bank account," the press release states. "According to the indictment, Roberts made transactions in the amounts of $150,000, $40,000, and $50,000."

Both men appeared in federal court yesterday and were later released on bond. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison. Roberts also faces an additional 10 years for the money laundering charge.

As detailed by the New Times, Roberts has long been entangled in art-world controversies. Over the past decade, he's faced a steady stream of lawsuits — at least eight — accusing him of selling forgeries or failing to deliver promised art. He served nearly two years in federal prison in 2015 for art fraud, rebranded his galleries multiple times, and has twice filed for bankruptcy as legal challenges continue to mount.