Fraudster sentenced after investigation by Met’s Art and Antiques Unit

Crowley, aged 45 of Longwell Green in Gloucestershire, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment suspended for two years when appearing at Southwark Crown Court on 22 May. He pleaded guilty at the same court on 27 February to fraud by false representation.

Forensic evidence gathered by detectives proved that invoices submitted by Crowley, claiming to be from 1976, had in fact used a typeface only invented in 2001.

Cycladic figures

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Service’s specialist Art and Antiques Unit launched an investigation after Crowley contacted auction house Sotheby’s in October 2022, asking the organisation to sell three stone Cycladic figures.

The stone figures – roughly 30 cm tall and each weighing around 1 kg – were purportedly from the Cyclades islands in modern day Greece. They were said to date from the Bronze Age, at least 3,000 years ago, and be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Specialists at Sotheby’s identified inconsistencies in the sculptures and suspected the accompanying documentation was false. Following these concerns, the auction house’s legal department contacted the Metropolitan Police Service. Extensive enquiries by the specialist police team confirmed that their suspicions were correct.

Crowley claimed to have inherited the Cycladic figures from his wealthy grandfather, who he said had made his fortune in the United States before settling in England post-retirement. Invoices presented to Sotheby’s appeared to show that Crowley’s grandfather had bought the figures from a New York-based antiques dealer in 1976. However, forensic analysis established that the documents – which were made to look like they were written using a typewriter on paper embossed with the antiques dealer’s logo – were forgeries.

Modern printer technology

The scientists concluded that the letters were printed using modern printer technology, which was not in widespread use in the 1970s. Further analysis showed they were not written using a typewriter.

Detectives identified and tracked down the US-based designer of the typeface. Working with the FBI, a statement was obtained evidencing that the font was not in use until 2001 (a full quarter of a century after the invoices were supposedly written). The dealer’s embossed logo, which looked genuine to the untrained eye, was created using a pen or artist’s tool rather than a stamp.

Crowley was arrested outside the front door of Sotheby’s on New Bond Street in London’s Mayfair on 27 July 2023, having been invited to a meeting with experts at the auction house.

The statues – which police believe to be modern replicas – were seized. Had the fraud gone undiscovered, the statues could have sold for anything up to £500,000.

Cross-border co-operation 

Detective Constable Ray Swan, who led the Metropolitan Police Service’s investigation, said: “This is an excellent example of cross-border co-operation that has effectively prevented harm to the London art market. It was a sophisticated fraud that required substantial planning.”

Swann added: “This case also highlights the crucial role played by industry experts in helping to protect the integrity of the London art market. The staff at Sotheby’s acted responsibly and swiftly in raising their concerns. Their co-operation was instrumental in preventing a significant fraud.”

A spokesperson for Sotheby’s explained: “In the course of our normal due diligence processes, concerns were identified and shared promptly with the Metropolitan Police Service. We are grateful to have been able to work closely with the Art and Antiques Unit and supported such a meticulous and superbly executed investigation that has helped to prevent fraudulent material from entering the market.”