A Berks County man has entered a guilty plea to charges of art fraud, having admitted to selling forged artworks to unsuspecting customers. Carter Reese, 77, of Reading, faced the judgment of United States District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl as he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud.
Reese found himself under the gavel after being brought up on charges earlier this month. In court filings, which Reese acknowledged, he engaged in a deceitful practice from February 2019 to March 2021 where he sold and attempted to sell fake art. These pieces, presented as works of highly regarded artists—such names as Francis Bacon and Pablo Picasso among them—were falsely represented as originals. According to the Justice Department, Reese was aware that the artworks were counterfeit.
Reese’s scheme has landed him in a position to face a severe penalty. With a sentencing date slated for September 12, the defrauder could be looking at up to 40 years of incarceration. The case, revealing a murky underbelly of the art world where fakes are pawned off as masterpieces, was investigated by the FBI’s Art Crime Team, with agents from Philadelphia and Miami taking point. The legal process unfolded with due diligence, attributed to the collaborative effort of Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Mandelbaum and Jason Grenell.
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