Fraudster trying to sell fake ancient statues to Sotheby’s foiled over bogus invoices
Andrew Crowley attempted to sell fake ancient statues to Sotheby’s but was caught due to fraudulent paperwork. The judge acknowledged that Crowley inherited the statues and did not believe they were counterfeits, but the forgeries were discovered through modern printing methods. He received a two-year suspended sentence and was ordered to complete community service and pay costs.
- ▪Crowley tried to sell three Cycladic figures and one Anatolian stargazer statuette valued at approximately £680,000 if authentic.
- ▪The fraudulent invoices were found to be printed using methods from 2001, not 1976 as claimed.
- ▪Sotheby’s experts identified spelling mistakes in the documents, leading to the discovery of the fraud.
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The judge accepted that Crowley inherited the statues from his grandfather and did not at any point believe they were counterfeits. Photograph: Metropolitan Police/PAView image in fullscreenThe judge accepted that Crowley inherited the statues from his grandfather and did not at any point believe they were counterfeits. Photograph: Metropolitan Police/PACrimeFraudster trying to sell fake ancient statues to Sotheby’s foiled over bogus invoicesPaperwork supplied by Andrew Crowley, 46, found to be made using printing methods 25 years too modernNadeem BadshahSat 23 May 2026 03.00 EDTLast modified on Sat 23 May 2026 03.02 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleA fraudster who tried to sell fake ancient statues to Sotheby’s was foiled when his bogus accompanying paperwork was found to be written…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at World news | The Guardian.
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