San Francisco, California – In a stunning turn of events, a federal jury convicted 51-year-old art dealer Luke D. Brugnara of mail fraud, wire fraud, making false declarations, escape, and contempt after a three-week jury trial.
According to the United States Attorney, FBI Special Agent in Charge David Johnson, and U.S. Marshal Don O’Keefe, the jury found Brugnara guilty of wire and mail fraud in connection with his agreement to purchase several works of art for a combined total of approximately $11,000,000 from New York art dealer Rose Long.
The jury also found that Brugnara made false declarations to the court when he testified at a preliminary hearing in June 2014 that he had received a phone call from someone at Sotheby’s telling him that the artwork in question was fake.
The evidence at trial showed that Brugnara convinced Long to ship the art to his California home, promising to pay approximately $11 million for works by Willem de Kooning, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, George Luks, and Edgar Degas.
However, when the artwork arrived, Brugnara refused to pay for it, return it, or inspect it, and told Long that she had given the artwork to him as a gift.
Brugnara was originally charged with fraud in a criminal complaint filed May 27, 2014. He was arrested on May 28, 2014, but then escaped from custody of his lawyer on February 5, 2015. He was apprehended six days later and stood trial for the fraud charges and the additional escape charge beginning April 27, 2015.
The guilty verdict followed a three-week jury trial before the Honorable William Alsup, U.S. District Court Judge.
Defendant/respondent: Luke D. Brugnara
Criminal charges: Mail fraud, wire fraud, making false declarations, escape, and contempt
City and state: San Francisco, California
Exact date: Various dates throughout 2014 and 2015
Sentence or outcome: Convicted, awaiting sentencing
Dollar amounts: Approximately $11,000,000
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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