Miami art dealer sentenced to nearly 4 years for selling fake Warhols

A Miami art dealer has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for selling fake Andy Warhol artworks, WSVN 7News reported. Leslie Howard Roberts, 63, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 46 months in Miami federal court.

Roberts, owner of Miami Fine Art Gallery in Coconut Grove, was arrested in April 2025. Court records show he falsely represented artworks as original pieces by Andy Warhol, claiming he acquired them directly from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and providing fraudulent invoices, according to the Associated Press.

Prosecutors said Roberts exploited the trust collectors place in art dealers and the authenticity of the works they purchase. As part of the conspiracy, Carlos Rodriguez Melendez posed as an employee of a New York auction company and falsely authenticated forged artworks. Melendez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to probation.

Roberts must also pay back nearly $2.6 million earned from the scheme, AP reported. Another South Florida art dealer was sentenced in 2023 to over two years in prison for selling fake Warhols, highlighting ongoing issues with art fraud in the region.

Andy Warhol was an American visual artist and filmmaker associated with the 1960s pop art movement.