Andrew Crowley, a 46-year-old man from Longwell Green, Gloucestershire, received a two-year suspended sentence for attempting to sell fake ancient statues to Sotheby’s auction house. According to multiple reports, Crowley presented three Cycladic figures and an Anatolian stargazer statuette, claiming they were inherited from his grandfather.
Key Takeaways
Andrew Crowley was sentenced for attempting to sell fake ancient statues to Sotheby’s using forged paperwork. The court heard that Crowley presented three Cycladic figures and an Anatolian stargazer statuette, claiming they were inherited from his grandfather. Forensic analysis revealed the accompanying invoices were made with modern printing methods, despite being purportedly written in 1976.
- Andrew Crowley was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence for attempting to sell fake ancient statues.
- The statues would have been worth about £340,000 if genuine.
- Forensic analysis revealed the invoices were made with modern printing methods invented in 2001.
- Sotheby’s experts spotted spelling mistakes and raised concerns early on.
- Crowley was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,630 in costs.
The court heard that the statues would have been worth about £680,000 if genuine, based on previous sales. However, Judge Nicholas Rimmer reduced this estimate to £340,000 due to multiple hypotheticals involved in the valuation. Crowley had presented invoices for the statues that purported to be written in 1976 using a typewriter and paper embossed with an antique dealer's logo.
Forensic analysis revealed that the invoices were made with printing methods invented in 2001, exposing the fraud. Sotheby’s experts also spotted multiple spelling mistakes in the documents. Judge Rimmer described Crowley's attempt as 'crude' and noted that Sotheby’s quickly identified the paperwork as bogus.
The court accepted that Crowley inherited the statues from his grandfather and did not believe they were counterfeits. As a result, the judge emphasized that the dishonesty in this case revolved around the forged paperwork. In addition to the suspended sentence, Crowley was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,630 in costs over three months.
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