Federal lawsuit alleges Ardmore gallery was part of multimillion-dollar fake art scheme

ARDMORE, Pa. (WPVI) -- A Main Line art gallery is among several defendants named in a federal lawsuit alleging a multimillion-dollar scheme to sell fake Andy Warhol paintings and fraudulent authentication documents.

The lawsuit names Dane Fine Art in Ardmore and Nathan Isen, who is presumed to own the business. The gallery is the same business that was raided by FBI agents in July.

According to the lawsuit, a Florida family lost more than $6.7 million after purchasing paintings that were represented as original works by Andy Warhol but were allegedly counterfeit.

The family alleges it purchased the paintings through an art gallery in Miami and that Isen worked with that gallery to supply the fake artwork along with fake authentication documents. All of the paintings were represented as original Warhol works, according to the lawsuit.

The complaint alleges Isen was part of a "multimillion dollar fraud built on a repeated lie."

The lawsuit further alleges Isen needed the Miami gallery because his name had become tainted in the art world after he was convicted of money laundering using art sales as a front.

According to the filing, Dane Fine Arts was "one channel" of a larger pipeline that stretched across several states and Peru, generating significant profits from counterfeit artwork.

The lawsuit also alleges the conspiracy involved the sale of purportedly authenticated art prints that were actually pages removed from art books.

An attorney for Isen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.