Nelson S.T. Thayer Jr. Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania | Penn Carey Law School
A Berks County resident, Carter Reese, 77, from Reading, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty to charges related to an art fraud scheme. United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Reese entered his plea before United States District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl. He admitted guilt to one count of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud.
Reese was implicated in a fraudulent operation where he misled customers about the authenticity and origins of artworks he claimed were by well-known artists. According to court documents and Reese's own admission, between February 2019 and March 2021, he sold or attempted to sell counterfeit artworks purportedly created by famous artists such as Francis Bacon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jean Cocteau, Keith Haring, Fernand Léger, Roy Lichtenstein, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, among others. Reese was aware these pieces were not genuine.
The sentencing is scheduled for September 12. Reese could face up to 40 years in prison for his offenses.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team from the Philadelphia and Miami field offices conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Mandelbaum and Jason Grenell are prosecuting the case.
