Auctioneer gets 5 years for his part in art scam

[October 27, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- An auctioneer who helped sell fake art to thousands of TV viewers has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.

James Mobley was sentenced Monday in Los Angeles, the last of three defendants sentenced in the scam that involved fake Picasso and Chagall pieces. He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy and willful failure to file a tax return.

The 63-year-old Mobley was the on-air auctioneer for Fine Art Treasures Gallery, which prosecutors say sold $20 million in fake art to more than 10,000 U.S. customers. The art auction show ran twice a week on DirecTV and The Dish Network from 2002 to 2006.

Gallery owner Kristine Eubanks was sentenced to seven years in prison, while her husband, Gerald Sullivan, another owner, was sentenced to four years.

[Associated Press]

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