Crime & Safety
Northbrook Man Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison For Federal Art Fraud
Michael Zabrin allegedly made more than $1 million selling counterfeit prints for more than a decade, according to the Chicago Tribune.
A Northbrook man was sentenced to nine years in prison Wednesday on charges of selling counterfeit artwork.
Michael Zabrin, 59, allegedly spent decades selling fake paintings by such artists as Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, according to the Chicago Tribune.
With the help of fellow Northbrook resident Paul Kennedy and New Yorker Leon Amiel, Zabrin made at least $1 million through the sale of counterfeit prints from 1999 to 2007, the Tribune reports.
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"He's been engaged in unlawful conduct for a quarter century," said U.S. District Judge Robert Dow before reading Zabrin’s sentence.
As , Kennedy faces five counts of fraud and one count of obstruction of justice, for allegedly threatening to hurt someone who was cooperating with law enforcement officials. Those officials allege that Kennedy forged the signatures of Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso and other artists, then traveled to art shows around the country to sell the counterfeit works, making nearly $1.3 million from the sales between 2005 and 2007.
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Kennedy has also pled guilty and awaits sentencing in July, according to the Tribune. Amiel will be sentenced next Wednesday.
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