Coconut Grove Art Dealer Leslie Roberts Gets 46 Months for Selling Forged Andy Warhol Art

Published Oct. 20, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

The paperwork looked impeccable: an invoice from the Andy Warhol Foundation, a certificate bearing the name of the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board, an ID number on the back of the work and an official-looking stamp. According to federal prosecutors, none of it was real.

On Oct. 15, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced that Leslie Roberts, 62, of Miami, who ran Miami Fine Art Gallery in Coconut Grove, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for selling forged Andy Warhol artwork to "unsuspecting buyers" [1]. U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman imposed the sentence after Roberts pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The case number is 25-cr-20142 [1].

Status: Roberts pleaded guilty and has been sentenced. A co-conspirator, Carlos Rodriguez Melendez, has also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His sentence was not stated in the releases and reports we reviewed [1][2].

How the scheme worked

According to court records described by federal prosecutors [1]:

1. The pitch. Roberts sold forged artwork through his gallery and falsely represented it as original work by Andy Warhol.
2. The fake provenance. He told buyers he had acquired the artwork directly from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts (AWF), and provided fraudulent invoices that were supposedly issued by the foundation.
3. The fake authentication. He used forged authentication documents bearing the name of the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board, Inc., along with purported signatures of its authorized representatives.
4. The fake markings. Fraudulent AWF identification numbers were inscribed on the backs of the works, and counterfeit stamps were used "to create the appearance of authenticity."
5. The cover-up. Roberts enlisted Carlos Rodriguez Melendez to pose as an employee of a New York-based auction company and falsely authenticate artwork "to conceal that it was forged."

WLRN, republishing reporting by its partner the Coconut Grove Spotlight, reported that Rodriguez was brought in when clients began to question whether the artwork they had bought was authentic, and that he posed as an expert appraiser [2].

The people convicted

Leslie Roberts, 62, of Miami. Roberts operated Miami Fine Art Gallery in Coconut Grove [1]. According to WLRN and the Coconut Grove Spotlight:

• The FBI raided the gallery and arrested Roberts on April 9, 2025, and a grand jury indictment followed the next day.
• Roberts pleaded guilty in June 2026 to a single count of conspiring to commit wire fraud and agreed to cooperate with federal investigators.
• Judge Altman ordered him to forfeit $2.58 million in proceeds from the sale of forged artworks, and Roberts was remanded into custody on Oct. 2, 2026.
• In 2014, Roberts was sentenced to 22 months in prison after pleading guilty to selling forgeries of works by artist Peter Max [2].

Roberts' lawyer, Jason Wandner, argued for a lighter sentence and wrote that Roberts had helped federal law enforcement in what Wandner described as "what appears to be the biggest Art related fraud network in the United States," without giving further detail, WLRN reported. Wandner also wrote that "Roberts is not asking to go unpunished" [2]. Those statements are the defense's characterization; the DOJ release does not address them.

Carlos Rodriguez Melendez. Prosecutors said he posed as an auction-company employee to falsely authenticate artwork and has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud [1]. WLRN reported that he pleaded guilty in June 2025 and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors [2]. His age, city and sentence were not given in the sources we reviewed; status of sentencing pending.

"He exploited the trust that collectors place in art dealers and the authenticity of the works they purchase," said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. "Today's 46-month prison sentence sends a clear message: fraud is fraud, whether it happens on Wall Street or in an art gallery" [1].

The FBI Art Crime Team and FBI West Palm Beach investigated [1].

Why collectors get fooled

Art, autographs, sports cards and other collectibles share one weakness: the value depends almost entirely on authenticity, and most buyers cannot verify authenticity themselves. They rely on the seller, and on paperwork. This case shows how that paperwork can itself be forged, from the invoice to the authentication certificate to the numbers on the back of the piece, and how a fake third-party "expert" can be used to reassure a buyer who starts asking questions.

"Art fraud undermines confidence in the legitimate art market and victimizes buyers who rely on the authenticity of the works they purchase," said FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles [1].

Red flags

• The seller says the work came "directly" from an artist's foundation or estate but can't connect you with that organization independently.
• Certificates, invoices and stamps are the main proof of authenticity, and they come only from the seller.
• An "expert" or auction-house contact appears only after you raise doubts, and was introduced by the seller.
• The dealer has a history. Prior fraud cases or complaints can be found with a basic search of the dealer's name plus words like "forgery," "lawsuit" or "fraud."
• Pressure to buy quickly, or a price that seems generous for a famous name.

What to do

1. Verify independently. Contact the issuing foundation, authentication body or auction house yourself, using contact details you find on your own, not ones printed on the paperwork.
2. Research the dealer before you buy, including court records and news coverage.
3. Get a written guarantee of authenticity and a clear return policy, and pay with a method that offers dispute rights.
4. Get an independent appraisal for expensive works before or right after purchase.
5. If you think you bought a forgery, keep all documents and messages, and report it to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, and to your state attorney general.

Case status (as of Oct. 20, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 20, 2026	Source
Leslie Roberts, 62, Miami	Federal, S.D. Fla. (25-cr-20142)	Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; sentenced to 46 months (announced Oct. 15, 2026); $2.58 million forfeiture reported	[1], [2]
Carlos Rodriguez Melendez	Federal, S.D. Fla.	Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; sentence not stated (status pending)	[1], [2]

Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, "Miami Art Dealer Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Federal Prison for Selling Forged Andy Warhol Artwork," Oct. 15, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/miami-art-dealer-sentenced-nearly-four-years-federal-prison-selling-forged-andy-warhol
2. WLRN / Coconut Grove Spotlight, Don Finefrock, "Coconut Grove art dealer sentenced to federal prison," Oct. 13, 2026. https://www.wlrn.org/arts-culture/2026-10-13/coconut-grove-art-dealer-sentenced-to-federal-prison

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