He added fake autographs to paintings, then schemed with others to sell them, feds say
Correction: The charges in this story have been updated.
For about 15 years, a Michigan man added fake signatures to paintings and memorabilia while working with his brother and straw sellers to sell the collectibles as though they were real, according to federal authorities.
The Michigan brothers and a third man in Florida were caught selling the forged artwork and memorabilia — many for over $100,000 — and were recently charged in federal court, officials say.
Brothers Donald Henkel and Mark Henkel, and Raymond Paparella, pleaded not guilty to mail or wire fraud in connection to the scheme, according to a Thursday, April 21 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago. Mark Henkel pleaded guilty to “an additional charge of witness tampering for allegedly corruptly persuading a co-schemer to make a false statement to law enforcement.”
“Mr. Paparella has pled not guilty and is innocent of these charges,” defense attorney Damon Cheronis said in a statement to McClatchy News. “He vehemently denies engaging in the alleged fraudulent conduct and looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
The defense attorneys for the Henkel brothers did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on April 22.
Authorities allege that from 2005 to 2020, Donald Henkel, 61, was “altering and applying false autographs or signatures to paintings and memorabilia, including sports, Hollywood, and music collectibles, to make the items appear genuine or more valuable to potential buyers, including art galleries, auction houses, and individuals.”
The forged creations included paintings, baseballs and baseball bats, record albums and celebrity photographs, according to an indictment filed in court.
Some of the artwork was signed as though late artists Ralston Crawford and George Ault created them, officials say, and he used the forged signatures of Major League Baseball legends Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner and Cy Young on other memorabilia.
Donald Henkel used a vintage pen to help make the work seem more valuable, according to court records. He’s also accused of making up false origins and history for the paintings and memorabilia.
He then worked with brother Mark Henkel, 66, to recruit straw sellers, including Paparella, 59, records show. The straw sellers would pose as owners of the pieces “to deceive potential and actual buyers and to conceal the role of (the Henkels).”
Authorities say there were five other co-schemers involved in the fraud.
Victims included an Illinois auction house, New York art galleries and an auction house, Texas and Pennsylvania sports memorabilia auction houses, a London auction house, and a California collector and seller of Walt Disney memorabilia.
In an example provided in court records, authorities say baseballs sold for about $121,000 at an auction with the purported autographs of Wagner and Christy Mathewson. A baseball bat with Young’s forged signature sold for $120,000 at an auction.
A fraudulent Ault painting sold at an auction for about $372,500, officials say, netting the co-schemers about $270,000.
If the men are convicted of the charges, they face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count in the indictment, according to the news release.
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 8:57 AM with the headline "He added fake autographs to paintings, then schemed with others to sell them, feds say."