A very interesting article was posted today at the Saint Petersburg Times website which is directly relevant to the original prop collecting hobby.
Per the report, citing Tampa and New Jersey police, a man was suspected of selling fraudulent art on eBay. One of the Tampa police detectives posed as a customer and won two auctions on eBay, paid the seller, and received the artwork, described as original and authentic works by Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall, for $3,500.
The works were received, along with fraudulent certificates of authenticity.
Following an assessment from a local appraiser that the pieces were not authentic, a warrant was issued and the eBay seller, Ethem Ulge, “turned himself in to a Hillsborough County jail on felony charges, including grand theft in the third degree, organized fraud less than $20,000 and fraudulent use of personal information.” [Read more…]