Art and Antiquities Crime
Art - Old Masters, Impressionists, or NFTs; is evolving into a new asset class where global transactions rake in billions of dollars in annual profits across many economic sectors. Of which as much as a tenth is believed to be attributable to fraud and other forms of art crime. Global art markets are notoriously opaque and vulnerable to forgeries, tax and insurance frauds, as well as money laundering. The criminal art and antiquities trade is one the world’s largest illicit markets, behind drugs and arms.
Likewise, the world-wide phenomenon of cultural property plunder is one of the oldest forms of organized transnational crime. The increased focus by authorities and private entities of art and antiquities representing cultural heritage, especially from conflict zones, present significant challenges for both legitimate and unscrupulous dealers and collectors alike. Despite increased efforts to prevent fraud and theft, the illicit traffic of art and antiquities representing cultural heritage across borders continues to flourish.
We aim to help create transparency and accountability through due diligence and professional investigation. As a licensed investigative firm, we can assist artists, collectors, dealers, insurers, and cultural institutions. Our investigative capabilities include investment and art fund frauds, forgeries, counterfeits, thefts, price manipulation, collusion, and kickback schemes. Most recently we’ve been engaged to pursue stolen digital art, i.e., Non-fungible Tokens (NFT) and follow the theft proceeds laundered on the Ethereum blockchain. We seek to reduce risk, provide pursuit and accountability, help resolve disputes, and assist in recovering losses.