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A former Los Angeles auctioneer has agreed to plead guilty in a cross-country art fraud scheme where he created fake artwork and falsely attributed the paintings to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Michael Barzman of North Hollywood confessed to lying to the FBI about the provenance of forgeries exhibited at the Orlando Museum of Art.
Michael Barzman admitted to creating the paintings and making up their origins. The paintings then went on to show in an exhibit at an Orlando museum.
More than two-dozen Basquiat paintings whose authenticity had been questioned for a decade wound up at the Orlando Museum of Art in Florida before they were seized by federal agents last year.
A Los Angeles auctioneer has agreed to plead guilty to making false statements to federal investigators and has admitted to helping create fake artwor