Court Sentences British Man Over Forgeries Submitted to Sotheby's

A London court has sentenced a 46-year-old man to two years in prison after he admitted attempting to sell four purported antiquities through Sotheby's using forged provenance documents.

Andrew Crowley pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation after claiming he had inherited three Cycladic stone figures and an Anatolian "stargazer" statuette from his grandfather. He submitted documentation intended to establish the objects' ownership history as part of a proposed sale through Sotheby's London.

The auction house contacted the Metropolitan Police's Art and Antiques Unit in October 2022 after identifying inconsistencies in the paperwork. Crowley was arrested outside Sotheby's in July 2023 and later sentenced at Southwark Crown Court.

The prosecution focused on the forged provenance rather than the authenticity of the objects. Police investigators, working with the FBI, concluded that the documents had been produced using printer technology unavailable in the 1970s, while the typeface used was not developed until 2001. Research also found discrepancies in the purported ownership history.

Although expert evidence indicated the figures were unlikely to be ancient, the court reportedly accepted that Crowley believed they were genuine. Prosecutors estimated the objects could have been worth as much as £500,000 if authentic, though the judge placed their potential value at £340,000.

Crowley was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,630 in costs.

Detective Constable Ray Swan of the Metropolitan Police said the case demonstrated the importance of cooperation between the art trade and law enforcement, adding that Sotheby's due diligence had been instrumental in preventing the alleged fraud.