The Crime Book

93

A talented painter, after his release,

Kujau began creating works in the style

of other artists, selling them as

“genuine Kujau fakes”.

fakes. The journals were made with

post-war ink, paper, glue, and

binding. Ultraviolet light showed a

fluorescent element in the paper

that did not exist in 1945. The

bindings of one of the diaries

included polyester, a fibre that was

not created until 1953.

Before Stern could make their

own announcement on the findings,

the German government stepped in

and declared that the diaries were

clear forgeries. Stern’s management

demanded Heidemann reveal the

name of his source, which he did.

The downfall

By then, Kujau and his wife had

fled to Austria. Upon learning that

Heidemann had double-crossed

him, the forger turned himself in to

the police. Bitter that Heidemann

had kept so much of the money, he

claimed the journalist had known

the diaries were fake.

On 21 August 1984, Heidemann

and Kujau stood trial for defrauding

Stern out of 9.3 million marks. Both

men blamed each other during the

trial. In July 1985, Heidemann was

sentenced to four years and eight

months and Kujau to four years and

six months.

When Kujau was released from

jail in 1987, he embraced infamy.

He found a market painting and

selling copies of famous artworks

and became a minor celebrity on

TV, until he died of cancer in 2000

at age 62. Heidemann was also

released from prison in 1987 but

never worked as a journalist

again. The scandal was hugely

detrimental for Stern. The once-

lauded magazine was disgraced

for irresponsible journalism. ■

CON ARTISTS

Six clues that the diaries were forged

Whitener and

fibres in the paper

were manufactured

after World War II

The accidental use

of the initial “F”

instead of “A”

Evidence that

Kujau plagiarized

German writer

Max Domarus

Historical

inaccuracies

His use of

modern ink

At least one set

of initials glued on

the front was made

of plastic

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