Manhattan District Attorney has reported Manhattan dealer busted for dealing in fake antiquities. The authorities were keenly looking for stolen artifacts in the region. Amid the investigation, they got a breaking about the roaming of fake artifacts.
The dealer was arrested and investigated for the charges of dealing in fake antiquities. He was accused of creating and selling these. He was seized earlier this month and pleaded not guilty.
MerhdadSadigh is the owner of Sadigh Gallery in Manhattan midtown. There was a suspicion about him for fraudulent activity. The history of it is traced back to April 2019. A planned display was cancelled in Iowa, two years back, due to suspicion about most of the items on display. Experts realized that there is a problem, and they might be fake. The show was about Rosetta Stone and planned at Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.
Initially there was no respond by MerhdadSadigh or his attorney on the request for comment on the news. The nytimes report the statement of district attorney, Cyrus Vance, as “For many years, these fake antiquities mill based in midtown Manhattan promised customers rare treasures from the ancient world and instead sold them pieces manufactured on-site in cookie-cutter fashion”.
Later, the news of arrest was shared with the copy of the warrants. The prosecutors obtained another warrant after the arrest, according to which, they can search and investigate about the tools of the dealer for alteration of the antiquities, allegedly fake. The suspected pieces include sarcophagus cost $50,000, a cylinder seal cost $40,000 and a statue of the goddess Artemis cost $25,000.
The dealer is releasedon his recognizance and has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud and criminal simulation. The next court date is scheduled for October 12.
The chief of the District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit has put efforts for homing in on the looted antiquities. Sadigh become a spotlight and came into attention when the other dealers complained about someone selling all the fakes. Those dealers were observed for trafficking looted artifacts. The undercover investigators visited Sadigh Gallery. They selected a gold pendant with death mask of Tutankhamen and an ancient Roman head; and paid $4000for each. The investigation found hundreds of fake artifacts in the glass cases, shelves, and many more in the room behind the gallery.
It has been revealed that the dealer altered the created pieces in a way to give it vintage look, so they appear ancient. There wasvarnish, spray paints, mud-like substance and a belt sander among the tools found at the place. The seals on most of the items are also doubted for being big or nice. The investigators found the seals of similar quality on the items. The question arises,how the gallery site sadighgallery.com listed 11 copies of same statue for sale if it is authentic?
The owner commented on this as “I don’t anything about this.”
cancelled in Iowa, two years back, due to suspicion about most of the items on display. Experts realized that there is a problem, and they might be fake. The show was about Rosetta Stone and planned at Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.
Initially, there was no respond by MerhdadSadigh or his attorney on the request for comment on the news. The nytimes report the statement of district attorney, Cyrus Vance, as “For many years, these fake antiquities mill based in midtown Manhattan promised customers rare treasures from the ancient world and instead sold them pieces manufactured on-site in cookie-cutter fashion”.
Later, the news of the arrest was shared with the copy of the warrants. The prosecutors obtained another warrant after the arrest, according to which, they can search and investigate about the tools of the dealer for alteration of the antiquities, allegedly fake. The suspected pieces include sarcophagus cost $50,000, a cylinder seal cost $40,000 and a statue of the goddess Artemis cost $25,000.
The dealer is released on his recognizance and has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud and criminal simulation. The next court date is scheduled for October 12.
The chief of District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit has put efforts for homing in on the looted antiquities. Sadigh become a spotlight and came into attention when the other dealers complained about someone selling all the fakes. Those dealers were observed for trafficking looted artifacts. The undercover investigators visited Sadigh Gallery. They selected a gold pendant with death mask of Tutankhamen and an ancient Roman head;and paid $4000for each. The investigation found hundreds of fake artifacts in the glass cases, shelves, and many more in the room behind the gallery.
It has been revealed that the dealer altered the created pieces in a way to give it vintage look, so they appear ancient. There was varnish, spray paints, mud-like substance and a belt sander among the tools found at the place. The seals on most of the items are also doubted for being big or nice. The investigators found the seals of similar quality on the items. The question arises,how the gallery site sadighgallery.com listed 11 copies of same statue for sale if it is authentic?
The owner commented on this as “I don’t know anything about this.”
