Miami Art Dealer Sentenced to Nearly Four Years for Warhol Forgery Scheme

Key points

• Leslie Howard Roberts, owner of Miami Fine Art Gallery in Coconut Grove, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
• Roberts was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison and ordered to pay back approximately $2.6 million in proceeds.
• The scheme involved falsely claiming that artworks were acquired directly from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
• Roberts provided fraudulent invoices to collectors to authenticate the fake pieces.
• Carlos Rodriguez Melendez, who posed as an employee of a New York-based auction company to falsely authenticate the works, was sentenced to probation.
• Roberts was arrested in April 2025.

Background

This case follows a similar conviction in 2023, where Daniel Elie Bouaziz, owner of two galleries in Palm Beach County, was sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison for selling fake Warhols. Bouaziz pleaded guilty to money laundering, with prosecutors dropping 16 other counts related to fraud and embezzlement. Andy Warhol was a leading figure in the 1960s pop art movement.

Why it matters

The sentencing highlights the ongoing risks in the high-value art market, where the authenticity of works is critical. It underscores the potential for significant financial losses for collectors and the severe legal consequences for dealers who exploit trust through forgery and fraud.

What to watch

Roberts will serve his sentence in federal prison, and the repayment of the $2.6 million in proceeds will likely be enforced through legal means. There is no indication of further charges or related cases mentioned in the source.