yet another onte who uses art's talent 4 fooling customs officials: now w a 100 us$ basquiat. he gave us a couple of bienials and we helped him launder his money. luckily he's in jail now
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601120&sid=a3Q4iE8VGas0&refer=muse
U.S. Seeks Forfeiture of $8 Million Basquiat in Bank Collapse
By Linda Sandler
Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is seeking the forfeiture of an $8 million Jean-Michel Basquiat painting, tied to the collapse of a Brazilian bank, that officials say was smuggled into the U.S. using false documents.
Edemar Cid Ferreira, founder of Banco Santos SA, bought Basquiat's ``Hannibal'' painting with ``unlawfully obtained funds'' and sent it to the U.S. in August 2007 disguised as a $100 work, according to a complaint filed today in federal court in New York by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
``Hannibal,'' along with as much as $30 million of other artworks, couldn't be found when Brazilian authorities seized Ferreira's assets in 2005 and 2006 after he was charged with money laundering and bank fraud. The painting was seized by U.S. authorities from a New York City gallery last November.
Ferreira was sentenced in December 2006 to 21 years in prison for crimes against the financial system and money laundering. A Sao Paulo court ordered forfeiture of all his assets, including the missing art.
The case is U.S. v. The Painting Known as ``Hannibal,'' by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 08cv01511, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.
To contact the reporter on this story: Linda Sandler in New York at lsandler@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: February 13, 2008 19:17 ESTvia
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