| 84 Month
Sentence For Art Fraudster Inigo Philbrick
now Newland Pleads, Gets $400K Bond
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Sept 23 – Inigo Philbrick was
charged with art fraud, with a
link to Angela
Gulbenkian.
On November 18,
2021 Philbrick pleaded guilty
to one count, and to forfeit
$86 million, before U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Judge Sidney H. Stein. Inner
City Press live tweeted it here
and below.
On September 23,
2022, the day after he arrived
by extradiction, "ROBERT
NEWLAND, the business partner
of art dealer INIGO PHILBRICK,
who specialized in post-war
and contemporary fine art with
galleries in London, United
Kingdom, and Miami, Florida,
pled guilty today before
United States District Judge
Sidney H. Stein to one count
of conspiracy to commit wire
fraud for perpetrating a
multi-year scheme to defraud
various individuals and
entities in order to finance
PHILBRICK’s art
business. NEWLAND, a
citizen of the United Kingdom,
was arrested in the United
Kingdom on February 23, 2022,
and extradited from the United
Kingdom to the United States
on September 22, 2022."
His sentencing is
set for March 23, 2023 - and
he was released on $400,000
bond, secured by $200,000
cash. Money talks.
From Nov 19,
2021: now guilty plea by art
dealer Inigo Philbrick, linked
to... Angela Gulbenkian, of
UNSG Antonio
Guterres hidden CEFC
China Energy bribes fame.
Here's "MADE IN DECEPTION –
GULBENKIAN AND
PHILBRICK"
Note: "The
Gulbenkian foundation in
Portugal were keen however to
distance themselves from the
debacle" - kind of like
Gulbenkian foundation and UN
briber CEFC China Energy, or
UNSG Antonio
Guterres so keen to
distance he bans Press, here
Inigo Philbrick
allocutes: From 2016 to 2019
in SDNY and elsewhere I
schemed to obtain property by
fraud. I made
misrepresentation to art
vendors, and misrepresented
the ownership of art
work...
Philbrick con't:
", selling more than 100% and
getting loans against them
without telling co-owners."
[Sounds like UNSG
Antonio
Guterres
.]
Note: Philbrick
was refreshingly honest: He
said, I did it for money,
there was a business I wanted
to start.
Phlilbrick pleads
guilty, and it is accepted.
His able lawyer is in "Do you
know this man" podcast about
John Ruffo.
On May 23,
Philbrick was returned to
Judge Stein's courtroom to be
sentenced, brought in by two
US Marshals. Philbrick was
sentenced to 84 months in
prison. The gallery was full
and Inner City Press was there
and live tweeted, thread here
Defense lawyer:
This is a highly publicized
case, but it shouldn't be held
against my client. Judge
Stein: I have sentencing
another fraudster after this,
less publicity. But I'll do it
the same. Speak about the
crime Defense lawyer: His
idyllic life was shattered
Defense
lawyer: At 14 he learned his
father had an affair -- Judge
Stein: You're blaming the
forgeries on divorce? Selling
art without the owners'
consent? No. Defense: The
stock of what occurred, the
parental alienation...
Judge Stein: The
record indicates he fled to
Vanuatu, with which the US
apparently had no extradition
treaty, on the advice of a
Miami attorney, which is
interesting. Do you dispute he
stopped communicating with the
victims? Defense lawyer: He
sent to Japan and Australia.
Defense: He also
went to New Caledonia. He was
hardly hiding. He communicated
before he left. He was not
running away. He admitted
fraud to Andre and others.
Judge Stein: Why did he go to
Vanuatu from Oct 2019 until
June 12, 2020 when he was
arrested?
Judge Stein: He
wife was very pregnant. Why
were they in Vanuatu? Defense:
His financee's family had a
connection with it. They had
previously been there on
vacation.
Defense: He met
with the government numerous
times,
Judge. You've
been here longer that I have.
He tried to cooperate. Ok,
there's no 5K1 letter. But no
on is saying he lied. He
recently met voluntarily with
the civil lawyers for the
victims.
Defense: The
first thing he did after he
hired me was to ask to talk to
the US. Judge Stein: He
proffered 5 times & was
generally truthful, it says.
I'm not going to sentence him
to the recommended 121 months.
But I'm surprised I don't have
more from the victims.
Note: In the
docket is a victim's impact
letter from Daniel Tumpel, who
wrote that "we later found out
that the painting was
photoshopped into the picture
and that the painting was no
longer in Philbrick's
possession."
Philbrick's
lawyer: There another art
fraud case in which Judge
Rakoff gave an 18 month
sentence, for acceptance of
responsibility. Here there are
mitigating factors. It should
be significantly lower than
121 months.
Philbrick's
lawyer: I represent mass
murderers, I believe bank CEOs
who are in jail. [Inner City
Press wonders, Who are these
bank CEOs who are in jail?]
Judge Stein: I
will order a medical exam of
Mr. Philbrick's mole.
Philbrick's lawyer: He just
dug himself in deeper, he kept
trying to dig out --
Judge Stein: It's
a Ponzi scheme. He took money
from later investors to pay
the earlier ones. He had all
the social connections to
assist in the business. He
engaged in massive fraud
Judge
Stein: People are going to
think this is the run of the
mill art dealer. Philbrick's
lawyer: Your frustration is
palpable for a reason. My
client is only 34. He began
confessing on the plane back
from Vanuatu.
Assistant
US Attorney: We ask for a
substantial sentence. Judge
Stein: I will be more than he
has served, but below the
guidelines. AUSA: We received
16 restitution requests, and
more are coming in. Philbrick
took a piece of art and gave
it to Andre Sakhai
AUSA: I
just looked at the 302 from
the flight from Vanuatu. He
was blaming it on Robert
Newland. Later we tried to
corroborate things. We offered
him a plea without the
mandatory minimum for
aggravated identity theft.
AUSA: To
prosecute Robert Newland, we
do not anticipate calling Mr
Philbrick as a witness. [From
the docket: the US "is seeking
Newland's extradition from the
UK."]
People in
the art world don't like to
talk about their business,
even as victims. AUSA: The art
market is one of handshakes.
That's why general deterrence
is so important here.
Philbrick
himself: I hope my conduct and
my comportment on the day of
my arrest cause no doubt about
my remorse and sorrow.
Philbrick:
My family grew from two to
three while I was in MDC. My
conduct was outrageous. 12
years ago I was offered a role
in the art world. It required
deception. The vanity of youth
perverted my abilities.
Judge Stein: Our
court reporter needs a break.
Let's take five minutes.
They've back.
Philbrick: These days I help
guys in the MDC with their
letters. And getting on the
phone with victims and trying
to help them find the
paintings. That's what I want
the court to know. Judge
Stein: What did you mean, the
position required deception?
Philbrick:
I ran a gallery &
pretended it was mine. Judge
Stein: Don't many galleries
have 1 person's name on them,
but the funding comes from
another? Philbrick: Yes: But
what I told people was false.
Judge Stein: Why did you do
this? Philbrick: Vanity and
greed.
Judge Stein: I am
going to vary downward. He is
a first time offender and
tried to help the US after. He
was incarcerated during COVID.
I am imposing a sentence of 84
months, down from the 121
month guideline.
The case is US v.
Philbrick, 20-cr-351
(Stein)
***
Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a
month helps keep us going and grants you
access to exclusive bonus material on our
Patreon page. Click
here to become a patron.
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
Mail: Box 20047, Dag
Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other, earlier Inner City Press are
listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright 2006-2021 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com
|
,
