https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10209121/Manhattan-antiques-dealer-sentenced-five-years-probation-fake-artifacts-factory.html
Does seem a very light penalty for such a very long histiory of extensive fraud!
Manhattan art dealer is sentenced to five years probation for fake Egyptian artifact factory where he sold spray-painted and varnished phony relics for up to $4k to unsuspected collectors for decades Mehrdad Sadigh, who sold fake artifacts at Sadigh Gallery on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue since 1982, was sentenced to five years of probation on Tuesday
Prosecutors allege that for the past 39 years, Sadigh passed off the fake artifacts as ancient relics to unsuspecting customers
To remain under the radar, Sadigh said he hired a company to remove customers' complaints online and bury negative reviews
He said he also convinced people to write fake positive reviews about his store
Sadigh was caught after selling to undercover federal investigators a fake Egyptian and Roman relic for $4,000 each in August
After the sales, members of the DA's office and Homeland Security Investigations visited the gallery and found hundreds of fake artifacts displayed
Investigators also found the tools that Sadigh used to age the phony antiques, varnish, sanders and spray paint
Prosecutors say that, based on the number of years he ran his busines