Disgraced Florida art dealer Daniel Elie Bouaziz has been charged with internet fraud, mail fraud and money laundering for allegedly promoting copies of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol and Banksy, among other prominent artists, as originals.
Bouaziz was arrested in May for his alleged involvement in the operation, after the FBI raided a Palm Beach gallery, Danieli Fine Art, in December 2021.
Bouaziz faces up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine if convicted on all four counts.
Bozize also owns Gallery Daniele on Worth Avenue, a popular destination for excellent galleries. The FBI indictment stated that fraudulent artworks sold from Bouaziz Institutions were originally listed on online auction sites at low prices; Bouaziz bought it and marketed it as authentic. He provided misleading origin documents to give the appearance of authenticity, as well as “false assertions and evaluations”, According to the indictmentwith a stamped signature reading “Daniel Bouaziz, Certified International Appraiser of Fine Arts.”
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Among the fraudulent works believed to have been sold, authorities said, were Algerian-born art dealer Basquiat, which he bought from LiveAuctioneers for $495. The dealer allegedly turned the business over to an undercover FBI agent for $12 million. A member of the Basquiat County Certification Committee that has since been disbanded has identified the work as a fake, according to Affidavit of criminal complaint.
Bouaziz is also accused of selling Roy Lichtenstein’s publication to an undercover agent for $25,000. Comparing the reproductions with the image of the original in the artist’s catalog revealed several stark differences in the color schemes.
The authorities intervened after Bouaziz’s clients began demanding a refund of their payments, but to no avail.
The complaint stated that “the other victims, who informed Bouaziz of their concerns about the authenticity of their purchased work, before and after the execution of the search warrants in the gallery, received some payment from Bouaziz.”
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