California Dealer Tatiana Khan Charged with Selling Phony Picasso
LOS ANGELES, CA.- A West Hollywood antiques dealer has been charged with selling a phony Picasso for $2 million.
Federal prosecutors said Friday that 69-year-old Tatiana Khan was charged with wire fraud and other crimes. She’s free pending arraignment but could face 45 years in prison if convicted.
A call to her lawyer wasn’t immediately returned.
- a forged Pablo Picasso pastel called “The Woman in the Blue Hat” which sold for $2 million. Federal prosecutors said Friday Jan. 8, 2010 that 69-year-old Tatiana Khan was charged with wire fraud and other crimes for the forgery
Prosecutors contend Khan paid an artist $1,000 in 2006 to duplicate a Pablo Picasso pastel called “The Woman in the Blue Hat” and sold the forgery for $2 million.
The FBI stepped in last year after the buyer had the work examined and learned it was a fake.
On Friday, FBI agents seized a genuine Willem de Kooning painting from Khan. Authorities claim she bought it for $720,000 using proceeds from the Picasso sale.
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