Florida art dealer pleads guilty in Warhol forgery scheme

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida art dealer has pleaded guilty in federal court in connection with a scheme involving the sale of fake Andy Warhol paintings. Court records show that Daniel Elie Bouaziz pleaded Tuesday (Feb. 21, 2023) to money laundering. He faces up to 10 years at a May 30, 2023, sentencing hearing. Bouaziz is the owner of Danieli Fine Art and Galerie Danieli in Palm Beach County. Prosecutors say he sold counterfeit artwork to a customer in October 2021 including pieces purportedly by Warhol. Investigators say he told the customer that the works, which he was selling for between $75,000 and $240,000, were authentic originals and that some were signed by the artist.