Fake Prints on eBay???

Fake prints being sold on eBay, no tell me its not true.  The Los Angeles Times is carrying an AP article by Mike Robinson on a Chicago man who has pleaded guilty to selling fake prints on eBay. The Chicago man Michael Zabrin of Northbrook, IL has supposedly sold fake prints to 250 people for nearly $1 million.  The prints were typically priced between $1,000.00 and $1,500.00 and included your typical artists who prints are commonly forged such as Picasso, Lichtenstein, Chagall,etc.  Zabrin also admitted some buyers discovered the fakes, returned them, and after a few months resold them again.

The article states Zabrin pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, which sounds rather mild.  The penalties can be severe with up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for March 23rd. Zabrin admitted being involved in 280 sales of fraudulent art on eBay through two of his companies, Fineartmasters and ZFineartmasters.

The LA Times article states

In his signed plea agreement with prosecutors, 57-year-old Zabrin said he would send away to his Italian source for fake Picassos, saying: "I need some P's." When he needed bogus works by Roy Lichtenstein, he would say: "I need some L's."

In the summer of 2004, Zabrin purchased eight counterfeit works purportedly by Marc Chagall for $20,000 "which he resold at no less than three times his cost," according to the plea agreement which was presented to Judge Robert M. Dow Jr.

Zabrin agreed in the document that he caused foreseeable losses of more than $1 million but less than $2.5 million with works turned out by "the Spanish guy" and another supplier in Italy. He also admitted trading fake art works with other dealers.

Zabrin was among seven people charged in March 2008 on charges of trading in fake works by Picasso, Lichtenstein, Chagall, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali. He was the first to be convicted. Charges against the six others are pending.

To read the full LA Times article, click HERE.