A person in Connecticut who bought 145 fraudulent work by Peter Max, the grasp of psychedelic Pop artwork, has been sentenced to serve 14 months in jail for promoting counterfeit artwork. Nicholas P. Hatch, who was arrested in Might 2023 and subsequently pleaded responsible to mail fraud, was sentenced in US District Court docket in Connecticut on Wednesday (17 April). He was additionally ordered to restitute the $248,600 he made promoting the fraudulent work to 43 patrons.
In keeping with the felony grievance filed final 12 months on the time of his arrest, Hatch carried out the fraud through his firm Hatch Property Providers, by means of which he bought prints by Max to which he had added brushstrokes and signatures in an effort to market them as distinctive work. The FBI’s New Haven unit started investigating Hatch in December 2021 after considered one of his workers despatched a tip about his actions. In keeping with the FBI’s investigation, Hatch operated below a number of aliases—together with Alex Cassellucci, Jeremy Ruiz and Liam—in addition to a variety of various enterprise names together with Hatch Property Providers, Lions Gate Auctions and Indian Head Auctions.
Hatch usually bought the purported genuine Max work for costs between $1,325 and $2,833. In some circumstances he additionally supplied his victims with pretend certificates of authenticity for the fraudulent works. Whereas genuine prints and works on paper by Max usually promote for costs within the three- and low four-figure greenback vary, his genuine work can usually fetch costs within the vary of $10,000 to $20,000.
Hatch will start his jail time period on 17 June. Along with a 14-month jail time period, his sentence contains three years of supervised launch.
Max’s life and work have been embroiled in a totally unrelated authorized feud for years now, with the aged artist’s daughter and his caretaker submitting competing lawsuits over management of his care and legacy. Max, who’s now 86 years previous, has been affected by Alzheimer’s-induced dementia for a number of years.
