Timothy Sammons, a British art dealer, has been arrested over charges of fraud, worth 10 million USD to 30 million USD. From 2010 to 2015, Sammons collected artworks of millions of dollars from victims residing in the United Kingdom, the United States, and New Zealand through a scheme. The collection included famous artworks like Buste de Femme by Pablo Picasso, Reverie by Marc Chagall, and Calanque de Canoubier (Pointe de Bamer) by Paul Signac, and many others. He then sold the work and used the proceeds for personal expense. He also obtained personal loans by pledging the artworks.
Sammons was also head of Sotheby’s Chinese art department earlier and had maintained a decent reputation with respect to art. Later he opened an advisory company for providing professional guidance for the trade of artwork.
The 63 years old dealer admitted allegation upon him and said: “I have always said how extremely sorry I am for the trauma I caused”. He has been jailed for up to 12 years in the US after he was found guilty by the New York Supreme Court. He was declared bankrupt and all his assets were frozen back in 2017 when he could not repay the obtained loan worth 4 million pounds in London to build his house.
District Attorney Cyrus Vance said that “Not only did victims lose millions of dollars, but many lost valuable pieces of artwork that had been in their families for generations”. Justice Ann Scherzer commented while hearing, “The emotional harm and financial harm is done to the victims of this crime is very serious.”. After the announcement of the verdict, Sammons said, “extremely sorry for all the trouble it’s caused people, was not my intention to cause any grief at all”. He will be sent to New York State Prison to complete his sentence, and after his release, he will be deported to the United Kingdom.
