Fraudster sentenced after investigation by Met's Art and Antiques Unit

A fraudster who tried to sell stone sculptures with false provenance through London auction house Sotheby’s has been sentenced after a Met investigation gathered evidence from across the globe

Andrew Crowley, 45 (12.05.80), of Longwell Green, Gloucestershire, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment suspended for two years at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, 22 May. He pleaded guilty at the same court on Friday, 27 February to fraud by false representation.

Forensic evidence gathered by detectives proved that invoices submitted by Crowley, claiming to be from 1976, had in fact used a typeface only invented in 2001.

The investigation

Detectives from the Met’s Art and Antiques Unit launched an investigation after Crowley contacted auction house Sotheby’s in October 2022, asking them to sell three stone Cycladic figures.

The stone figures – roughly 30cm tall and each weighing around 1kg – were purportedly from the Cyclades islands, in modern day Greece. They were said to date from the Bronze Age, at least 3,000 years ago, and worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Specialists at Sotheby’s identified inconsistencies in the sculptures and suspected the accompanying documentation was false. Following these concerns, the auction house’s legal department contacted the Met. Extensive enquiries by the specialist police team confirmed that their suspicions were correct.

Crowley claimed to have inherited the Cycladic figures from his wealthy grandfather, who he said had made his fortune in the United States before settling in England after his retirement.

Invoices presented to Sotheby’s appeared to show that Crowley’s grandfather had bought them from a New York based antiques dealer in 1976.

But forensic analysis established that the documents – which were made to look like they were written using a typewriter on paper embossed with the antiques dealer’s logo – were forgeries.

The scientists concluded that the letters were printed using modern printer technology, which was not in widespread use in the 1970s. Further analysis showed they were not written using a typewriter.

Detectives identified and tracked down the US based designer of the typeface. Working with the FBI, a statement was obtained evidencing that the font was not in use until 2001, a quarter of a century after the invoices were supposedly written. The dealer’s embossed logo, which looked genuine to the untrained eye, was created using a pen or artist’s tool rather than a stamp.

Crowley was arrested outside the front door of Sotheby’s in New Bond Street, Mayfair, on 27 July 2023, having been invited to a meeting with experts at the auction house.

The statues – which police believe to be modern replicas – were seized. Had the fraud gone undiscovered, the statues could have sold for up to £500,000.

Detective Constable Ray Swan, who led the Met’s investigation, said:

“This is an excellent example of cross-border cooperation that has effectively prevented harm to the London art market. It was a sophisticated fraud that required substantial planning.

“This case also highlights the crucial role played by industry experts in helping to protect the integrity of the London art market. Sotheby’s staff acted responsibly and swiftly in raising their concerns, and their cooperation was instrumental in preventing a significant fraud.”

A spokesperson for Sotheby’s said:

“In the course of our normal due diligence processes, concerns were identified and shared promptly with the Metropolitan Police.

“We are grateful to have been able to work closely with the Met’s Art and Antiques Unit and are glad to have supported such a meticulous and superbly executed investigation that has helped prevent fraudulent material entering the market."