Angela Catherine Hamblin, Counterfeit Art Sales, New York 2007

Angela Catherine Hamblin, a 74-year-old citizen of the United Kingdom, has finally faced justice after 13 years on the run. She was extradited from Germany to the United States to serve a prison sentence for selling fake works of art through a commercial auction website and in private transactions.

According to the indictment, Hamblin engaged in a fraudulent scheme to sell at least four paintings that she represented to be works of renowned artists such as Joseph Mallord William Turner, Milton Avery, Franz Kline, and Juan Gris. She made various claims about the paintings’ origins, including that she or her husband had inherited them from relatives and that they purchased one from a deceased seller.

Hamblin was initially sentenced to one year and one day in prison in 2009, but she failed to report to U.S. prison authorities and fled to the United Kingdom. She was re-arrested on May 31, 2022, while changing planes in Frankfurt, Germany, and was extradited to the United States today.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Art Crime Team/New York Major Theft Task Force for their outstanding investigative work on Hamblin’s scheme. He also thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Marshals Service, and German authorities for their assistance in the extradition.

Hamblin will serve her prison sentence in the United States after being transported to the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raymond Lewis in charge of the prosecution.

The extradition of Angela Catherine Hamblin marks a significant victory for the U.S. authorities in their pursuit of justice for victims of art forgery. It also highlights the importance of international cooperation in combating white-collar crime.

Hamblin’s scheme was a brazen attempt to deceive art collectors and enthusiasts, and her actions have caused significant financial loss to those who were duped into buying fake art. Her extradition is a reminder that those who engage in such activities will eventually face consequences.

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