Vincent Lopreto is no stranger to the American justice system.
A mere fifteen days after the experienced forger was released from prison, the Manhattan District Attorney has indicted him, along with Marco Saverino and Paul Motta, for resuming the same plot that originally put Lopreto behind bars. The team faces charges of grand larceny, attempted grand larceny, and scheme to defraud for an international plot to sell counterfeit art spanning from October 2015 through February 2017.
Using a stamp and printer at his apartment in New Orleans, Lopreto created fake prints in the style of British artist Damien Hirst, including a forged artist's signature. Labeled "authentic" and "limited edition," the men sold the prints online to clients in the US, UK, Germany, Macedonia, South Africa, Canada, Taiwan, and South Korea. Forged certificates, documentation, and receipts were used to further deceive buyers.
"The art market's demand for limited editions can lead to fake pieces with little value. In this case, the alleged fraud went beyond plain imitation, and the defendants are charged with deceiving a multitude of buyers into purchasing counterfeit art that was falsely passed off as genuine," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. said in a statement.
The District Attorney estimated that $400,000 [£316,760] worth of sales in fraudulent art had been made through the scheme. Hirst's "spot paintings," which made up a portion of Lopreto's fake prints, are some of his most famous works and have previously been sold at auction for the likes of $1.7 million [£1,345,890].
Lopreto first served five years in California for a Hirst-forgery scheme in 2008. Then again, In 2014, he pleaded guilty to identify theft and scheme to defraud for fraudulent Hirst pieces and served nearly two years in prison.
Lopreto pleaded not guilty at his trial in Manhattan this week.
