MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - A Moscow artist was found guilty on Wednesday and sentenced to four years in prison for forging and selling what he claimed were Russian avant-garde paintings, the RAPSI legal news agency reported.
Alexander Chernov formed a criminal alliance, comprised of his twin brother (the case against him was dropped due to his death) and daughter, which forged and sold more than 800 paintings and graphics, including purported works by Kazimir Malevich, for a total of 20 million rubles (about $700,000).
The group also commissioned fakes from another artist, whose name was not disclosed.
Chernov’s daughter, Dina, was also convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.
Both father and daughter face civil lawsuits from art collectors they sold the forgeries to.
