A Southern California man has agreed to plead
guilty to trying to sell $6 million worth of phony
paintings he claimed were created by Andy
Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and other modern
masters, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Philip Righter, 43, of West Hollywood
acknowledged that he used some fakes as
collateral for loans he never repaid and for
phony income tax write-offs, according to
the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which said the plea
agreement was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles
federal court.