Righter tried to bilk victims out of $6 million
and caused more than $758,000 in losses, along
with more than $100,000 in costs to the federal
government through tax fraud, prosecutors said.
Richter sold the bogus artworks from 2016
through June of 2018, creating phony
documents to back up his claims that they were
genuine, prosecutors said.
Some of the documents were stamped with
counterfeits of the embossing stamps used
by the estates of Basquiat and Keith Haring to
authenticate pieces, prosecutors said.
Under his agreement, Righter will plead guilty
to wire fraud, tax fraud and aggravated identity
theft at a later date and could face up to 25
years in federal prison, although prosecutors will
ask for a lower sentence. Righter also must pay
restitution to his victims.
Righter also is facing charges in Florida over an
alleged $1 million art fraud attempt involving a
Miami gallery.