The Art Thief's Guide To Freedom

17: Step 17: How To Scar An Auctioneer

"The fine art world trades largely on names—names like da Vinci, Picasso, and Cézanne that can make the value of a canvas soar, and the names of dealers and gallery owners who operate in this rarified air by virtue of their own reputation and renown. Ezra Chowaiki was one of those dealers, and his gallery on New York's Park Avenue catered to art collectors, buyers, and sellers from around the globe. But in September 2018, Chowaiki was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for carrying out what the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York called "an elaborate scheme to defraud art dealers and collectors of millions of dollars." Chowaiki's name and his word, as it turned out, were not worth much."

U.S. Attorney's Office, Department of Justice, May 3, 2018

~**~~**~

"What do you mean, it's a fake?"

Will could hear the exasperation in Jack's voice over the phone. There was a hint of added stress that hadn't been there before.

A good friend would have kindly explained the situation to Jack and made sure he didn't stress further.

But Will wasn't a good friend.

He was a great friend.

"Well, I mean it's not real. In the sense that it's a counterfeit. Like. . ."He paused as he tried to hide the smile in his voice. "I'm not sure you're getting this. Imagine someone gives you a dollar bill and--"

"I know what counterfeit means, Will." Jack sighed audibly into the phone but Will could hear the tension easing from his voice.

If he pushed harder, he knew he could get the man to laugh but Will had problems of his own to focus on.

Jack continued to speak, this time in a lower tone. "Do you think this is some kind of trick by the thief to get away with the real painting?"

Shaking his head, Will responded. "Mrs. Stokes had positively identified the painting."

"Still," Jack said. "Stokes isn't an expert. She could have been fooled by the fraud."

"That's what I thought but then she pointed out a scuff at the bottom right corner of the canvas. Apparently, before it was hung in their foyer, she 'accidentally' kicked it. It left a mark but she never reported it to the insurance company. No one could have known about it."

Will reckoned that the woman was not happy that the Baroque had been found. He thought she'd just rather have the insurance claim check than the dusty frame back.

He had seen the way her face dropped when he mentioned the painting was found.

"The only plausible explanation is that the Stokes bought a counterfeit painting without knowing. The thief must have noticed right away and chucked it in the trash."

Will heard background noise crackling through his phone's receiver and determined that he must speak quite quickly in order to retain Jack's attention.

"There are two points to investigate: this thief is not just a means to an end. They are experts in the art field and can notice a fraud immediately. Something the auction house where the Stokes purchased the painting did not. Which leads me to my second point. Either the house didn't know the painting was fake or--"

Jack interjected to finish Will's thought. "It knew and didn't care. Either way, it's something to look into."

There was a stream of static that overtook the phone call before Jack's voice bled back in. "Listen, Will. I'm about to go to a big meeting. There's been an incident in D.C. that needs to be handled."