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    NY art dealer charged in $4M fraud

    NEW YORK (AP) — A New York art dealer has been charged in a $4 million fraud for selling works by Picasso, Matisse and others without informing the owner or giving him the proceeds.

    The charges in a criminal complaint in Manhattan accuse Robert Scott Cook of selling 16 works of art without the owner/collector's knowledge. The artwork included watercolors, drawings, photographs, and other works by artists including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, among others.

    Lawyers in court papers filed in a civil case against him say Cook is likely living abroad because he travels frequently around the world. A lawyer for the 62-year-old Cook did not immediately return a phone message for comment.

    From 2005 to 2011, Cook owned Cook Fine Art, LLC.

     

    20 comments

    • Ely Wolfsdorf  •  La Mesa, California  •  27 days ago
      What a shnook
    • Trinity Silver Star  •  Adams, Wisconsin  •  26 days ago
      They outta start taking organs from him to sell to replace the money he got. 1 organ at a time until the debt is paid off.
    • Stephen  •  Kansas City, Missouri  •  27 days ago
      Fry Him
    • Northland  •  Milwaukee, Wisconsin  •  27 days ago
      Most museums have many artworks in their vaults that are not currently on exhibit! These were obviously vaulted items that weren't discovered "missing" immediately. I hope the get him!!!!!!!
    • coyote  •  27 days ago
      psssst!..........wanna buy a Blue Boy?
    • facefind  •  27 days ago
      Pierre-Auguste Renoir, that was a yard sale price for just 4 mill, how did I miss that sale?
    • Nancy  •  27 days ago
      He sold a Renoir and he is only being charge with $ 4M in fraud!,must have been selling copies. Because Renoir paintings can sell for $100M and up.
    • Tamarisk  •  Las Vegas, Nevada  •  26 days ago
      I'm guessing he was holding them & selling them for the owner. I'm also guessing, with how many he sold & only how much he got total, the pieces were the piddly sketch pad or tiny type of pieces. There's a gallery here that deals in that kind of stuff; work the artist basically never wanted anyone to see & isn't that great. Folks will drop a penny on the name though.
    • Jeff  •  Blue Springs, Missouri  •  26 days ago
      Someone in New York involved in fraud? Yep-greatest city in the world-for #$%$
    • Roadhouse  •  26 days ago
      He's "cooked". Get it? hahahahahahahaha
    • Alonzo W  •  San Angelo, Texas  •  27 days ago
      Probably down in Rio...living the high life. $4million goes a long way in South America. Looks like another job for "Dog, The bounty Hunter"!!
    • engnr  •  King George, Virginia  •  27 days ago
      So, this guy is long gone with the money, living abroad with millions, I guess he's got the last laugh.
    • PooP  •  27 days ago
      ArtDealer I am High banana leave strutul
    • coyote  •  27 days ago
      I'm quite the Atist myself, make paintings out of dry noodles I glue on cardboard, my latest masterpiece is called "Pasta Casso".....
    • kgsharber  •  Dallas, Texas  •  27 days ago
      If someone sells my Picasso I would instantly know it was missing. They would never have the opportunity to then sell my Renoir, Matisse, & other paintings. When you own something of such historical significance as these paintings, you & only you are ultimately accountable for them. I guess I just value my possessions more than some people. And you can bet I would not be waiting for the "justice" system to do the work for me to find this crook, if you have $4M to hand out for artwork, you can spend a few more on another crook to kick his .....
    • Echo  •  27 days ago
      They are hanging in some Saudi princes bathroom.
    • Marie  •  27 days ago
      WHAT!!! did the owner of these paintings just wake up from a coma? (Not much of an article here, Yahoo.)
    • carlie  •  27 days ago
      Any chance the owner can get them back?
    • .  •  27 days ago
      hang this cracker
    • J C  •  27 days ago
      These homosexual Liberal art dealers should be taxed 65% on their profits!
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