Taking a Bite Out of Art Crime? Don’t Count On It!

This article entitled Art Fraud Prosecution: All Bark and No Bite?, written by Fine Art Registry® author John Daab, is both eye-opening and disturbing. Using as an example an ongoing case involving Fine Art Registry and Park West Gallery to vividly illustrate the woefully inept legal maze victims must maneuver to attain any sort of justice.

Over two years of in-depth investigations and pleas for justice from numerous victims of apparent fraud and misrepresentations have had the effect of one crying in the wilderness. The authorities seem to be helpless when dealing with the subject of art crime. There are plenty of laws on the books that purportedly protect the consumer from misdeeds, but the devil is in the details. Most law enforcement authorities do not have the expertise in art to begin to know where to start when faced with such cases. And the criteria for filing complaints are extremely stringent making the perpetrators of art crime even more emboldened. The author brings into focus the problems of those entangled in this web of legal wrangling that unfortunately favors those wearing the black hats.

It is so difficult to believe that in this day and age such crimes can and do go unpunished leaving the unknowing and unprotected to the ravages of fraudulent dealings. The antics of Bernie Madoff, whose misdeeds have been widely reported recently, would probably pale when compared to the untold billions that have been stolen from victims of art crime.

But don’t lose heart just yet, read the article at www.fineartregistry.com and you will find answers that may solve some of the problems that exist and hopefully will take a Big Bite out of art crime.