Three Chicago men are being charged with forging autographs on sports memorabilia, art, and other collector’s items for the purposes of marking up the costs significantly. The items were then sold to auction houses, art galleries, and individuals. All three of the men have been indicted on federal fraud charges. According to the indictment, the men applied false autographs to non-original paintings. The men would then enlist the aid of straw buyers to provide “false provenance” or an individual history of the artwork or collector’s item. The men forged the signatures of notable baseball stars such as Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, and Cy Young.
The fraud was conducted over the course of 15 years and ended when the men were finally under investigation in 2020. Problematically, many of the items sold for more than $100,000.
Elements of Fraud
Fraud is simply when you try to separate someone from their hard-earned capital by means of deception. The role of deception is key and it includes other types of crime. In this case, the crime of forgery is the most important element of the case. The defendants are accused of forging signatures on plain items in order to artificially increase the price tag. While forgery is precisely what happened here, the federal government does not typically charge individuals with forgery unless they are forging legal documents or the forgery is really, really bad. If the forgery is really bad, then the defendants have a problem because the sentences for federal forgery are much worse than those for state forgery charges.
In this case, the defendants are simply being charged with fraud for misrepresenting the items’ value, fabricating forged items, and then selling them to unwitting victims at highly inflated costs.
Sentencing for Fraud Charges
The federal government uses a complex sentencing chart to determine how long a defendant will stay in federal prison once their case is resolved. Without getting into details, there are two elements that any federal fraud defendant should consider. The first element is that fraud sentences are often expanded based on the amount of money stolen. While most fraud charges have 20-year maximum sentences, very few individuals will face 20-year sentences based on a fraud conviction. The amount of time you will face in prison will, however, depend on the amount of money stolen. In this case, it was a lot.
The second element to fraud sentencing involves the number of victims. In this case, there were a lot of victims as the fraud was carried out over 15 years. In other words, the defendants are facing near to the maximum sentence.
Talk to a Chicago Fraud Defense Attorney Today
At Glasgow & Olsson, our award-winning criminal defense lawyers have a proven track record of success in many high-profile state and federal criminal cases. Contact Glasgow & Olsson today to schedule your initial consultation to learn how our legal team can fight for your rights if you have been charged with a crime.