Florida Dealer Gets 46 Months for Fake Warhols

Leslie Howard Roberts, 63, owner of Miami Fine Art Gallery in Coconut Grove, was sentenced this month in Miami federal court to three years and 10 months in federal prison. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was ordered to repay nearly $2.6 million. Prosecutors said he marketed counterfeit works as authentic Andy Warhols, falsely claimed they came directly from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and used fabricated or falsified invoices. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones said Roberts exploited the trust collectors place in art dealers and the authenticity of the works they purchase. Roberts was arrested in April 2025. Carlos Rodriguez Melendez posed as an employee of a New York-based auction company to falsely authenticate the forged works. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud last year and was sentenced to probation. In a separate 2023 South Florida case, Daniel Elie Bouaziz, owner of two Palm Beach County galleries, was sentenced to two years and three months after pleading guilty to one count of money laundering; 16 other counts were dismissed. Rated coverage is left and center only. One left-rated outlet framed the nearly $2.6 million restitution as NZ$4.5 million in its headline.