SAN DIEGO (KNX) — A San Diego-area man pleaded guilty on Friday to a federal charge of wire fraud in connection with the sale of $1.1 million in forged artworks.
Jason Harrington, 38, admitted to selling forgeries of works by the acclaimed conceptual artist Richard Hambleton to at least 15 galleries and individuals between 2018 and 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Hambleton, a Canadian street artist who died in 2017, was a contemporary of conceptual painters like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. His works have fetched up to over $550,000 at auction.
Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman called the sentence “fitting” for “a defendant who harmed investors, corrupted the integrity of the art market, and damaged the historical-cultural record.”
Prosecutors alleged Harrington gave art collectors letters of authenticity, often from fictitious prior owners who claimed they received the pieces from the artist himself. Harrington also admitted to photoshopping images to back up his claims.
Harrington claimed to be an art gallery owner. The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged he also attempted to sell a work by painter Barkley Hendricks, which he claimed to have inherited from a family member. But the gallery to which he attempted to sell the forged Hendricks declined after it was evaluated by the artist’s widow and deemed to be a fake.
Harrington agreed to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution. He will return to San Diego federal court in February for a restitution hearing.
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