Four Arrested in Fake Paintings Scam

National and regional police of both the Valencia and Catalonia regions have collaborated in a joint operation to seize a total of 22 false paintings, which were attributed to the painters Salvador Dalí, Antonio Saura, Joan Miró and Mariano Benlliure, and were sold at auctions and on the Internet for an approximate total of 37,000 euro.

Specifically, 15 plagiarised works by Dalí, two by Saura, one by Miró and four by Benlliure have been located. Some of them had falsified certificates of authenticity to support the deception.

The police investigation began at the beginning of November 2023 and has led to the arrest of four people as alleged perpetrators of fraud and intellectual property crimes.

According to this investigation, some of its owners had inherited the works from their ancestors and were unaware of their falsity. In the case of Dalí’s paintings, they were acquired in different galleries in the United States.

All works copied the style, techniques, and methods of the forged artists, including signatures. However, the Heritage Group of the National Police Unit attached to the Valencian Community certifies that all of them, including the certificates that accompany them, are false.