A South Florida art dealer has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for orchestrating a forgery scheme involving fraudulent artworks falsely attributed to Andy Warhol. This was reported by the Associated Press following the ruling from a Miami federal court.
Leslie Howard Roberts, aged 63, who owns the Miami Fine Art Gallery located in the Coconut Grove neighborhood, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud this June, leading to the sentencing on October 2.
In addition to the prison term, Roberts faces three years of supervised release and has been ordered to forfeit $2,581,465, an amount he confessed to acquiring through his fraudulent activities.
Deceptive Tactics and False Documentation
The scheme was built on a series of counterfeit documents: fake invoices supposedly from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, forged certificates of authenticity, unauthorized signatures, fabricated identification numbers, and tampered seals.
Roberts misled buyers by claiming that the artworks were directly sourced from the foundation, which is dedicated to preserving Warhol's legacy, to assure them of their authenticity.
Financial Transactions and Arrest
According to NBC Miami, between April 2023 and May 2024, Roberts received over 100 electronic transfers from victims, amassing the funds he is now required to return.
The FBI raided Miami Fine Art Gallery on April 9, 2025, leading to Roberts' arrest later that month along with a co-defendant, Carlos Miguel Rodríguez Meléndez, a resident of Sunny Isles.
Co-Defendant's Role and Sentencing
Rodríguez Meléndez posed as an employee of a New York-based auction house to falsely authenticate the artworks and disguise their status as forgeries. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in June 2025 and received a one-year probation sentence, significantly lighter than Roberts’.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jason Reding Quiñones, emphasized the breach of trust, stating, "Roberts exploited the trust that collectors place in art dealers and the authenticity of the pieces they purchase."
Future Restrictions and a History of Fraud
During his supervised release, Roberts must allow access to his financial records, get court approval for new debts, and is prohibited from associating with Rodríguez Meléndez or engaging in art market-related businesses.
This is not the first case of its kind in Florida. In May 2023, Daniel Elie Bouaziz was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for laundering money from the sale of forged artworks attributed to Warhol, Basquiat, Lichtenstein, and Banksy in Palm Beach County galleries, with pieces priced between $75,000 and $240,000 each.
The luxury art market in South Florida, with its dense population of wealthy collectors and international events like Art Basel Miami Beach, remains particularly susceptible to such frauds. The Roberts case marks the second major federal prosecution for this type of crime in the state in less than four years.
Understanding Art Fraud Cases in Florida
What was Leslie Howard Roberts convicted of?
Leslie Howard Roberts was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with selling fake artworks attributed to Andy Warhol.
How did Roberts deceive buyers?
Roberts used counterfeit documents and claimed the artworks were sourced directly from the Andy Warhol Foundation to convince buyers of their authenticity.
What penalties did Roberts face besides prison time?
In addition to prison time, Roberts was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit over $2.5 million obtained from the fraudulent scheme.