Peter Max Art Counterfeiter Sentenced
Credit: Getty Images/Scott Gries
Just this Wednesday, a shocking revelation unfolded as a Connecticut man got handed a 14-month prison sentence for peddling 145 fake paintings attributed to the pop art icon, Peter Max. The Art Newspaper was the first to spill the beans on this story.
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Nicholas P. Hatch, the man behind the scandal, was busted back in May 2023 for hawking counterfeit art and later copped to charges of mail fraud. The sentencing went down in the US District Court in Connecticut, where the judge also slapped him with an order to cough up $248,600—the dough he raked in from tricking 43 art lovers with his phony masterpieces.
According to the criminal complaint that led to his collar, Hatch pulled off his shady moves through his business, Hatch Estate Services, which claimed to sell legit prints by Max. Turned out, it was all smoke and mirrors, with his team brushing on some fake strokes and signatures to make them look genuine. The FBI's New Haven squad got wind of Hatch’s gimmicks in December 2021, thanks to a snitch in his ranks tipping them off about the suspected mail fraud.
Digging deeper, it turns out Hatch was a crafty character, using a bunch of aliases like Alex Cassellucci, Jeremy Ruiz, and Liam, not to mention a string of front companies including Lions Gate Auctions and Indian Head Auctions to carry out his con.
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These bogus Max pieces were snapped up for prices ranging from $1,325 to $2,833—chump change if they were the real deal, since genuine Max artworks usually pull in anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 at the auctions. To add insult to injury, some of these fakes even came with forged certificates of authenticity. Meanwhile, the real Peter Max, now 86 and battling dementia, is tangled up in a separate courtroom drama involving his daughter fighting for rights over his legacy.
Come June 17, Hatch will start serving his time, followed by a three-year period of supervised release. What a wild ride, right? If you've got thoughts or want more deets, hit up the comments below or fire off a retweet. Stay sharp, stay real!
