A Palm Beach art dealer has pleaded guilty to laundering money from a scheme to sell counterfeit artwork.
Palm Beach resident Daniel Elie Bouaziz, the owner of art galleries in South Florida, including Danieli Fine Art and Galerie Danieli on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach County, pleaded guilty to laundering money derived from his scheme to sell counterfeit artwork.
According to an agreed-upon factual proffer in support of Bouaziz’s guilty plea, Bouaziz knowingly engaged in and attempted to engage in a transaction through a financial institution affecting interstate commerce of over $10,000 in money derived from the unlawful sale of counterfeit art in violation of the wire fraud statute.
Specifically, on or about October 25, 2021, Bouaziz sold counterfeit artwork to a customer, including pieces purportedly by artist Andy Warhol, out of his Palm Beach art galleries. Bouaziz had told the customer that the works that he was selling, for between $75,000 and $240,000, were authentic, original Warhol pieces, and that some of the pieces were signed by the artist.
The customer gave Bouaziz a $200,000 down payment for the artwork. The money was deposited into Bouaziz’s account and then the comingled funds were wired to other accounts, including an account controlled by Bouaziz.
Bouaziz’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 30, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon in Fort Pierce.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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