Guilty pleas in fake Basquiat painting scheme
Michael Barzman pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about the origins of paintings credited to Jean-Michel Basquiat that were seized from the Orlando Museum of Art last year. Barzman and a second man created the fake Basquiats in 2012 and sold them on eBay. Barzman tried to create a false history of ownership for the paintings by claiming they came from a well-known screenwriter’s rented storage unit. The FBI seized 25 pieces that Basquiat purportedly made, and Barzman denied making the paintings in an August 2022 interview with FBI agents. Barzman agreed to surrender to federal authorities and could face up to five years in federal prison.