L.A. man pleads guilty to selling forgeries of art by Haring, Basquiat to Miami gallery

A Los Angeles man accused of buying forged artworks of prominent graffiti artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat and then trying to sell them for millions to a South Florida gallery has pleaded guilty.

Philip Righter, 43, who was charged with mail fraud and identity theft in Miami federal court, now faces up 22 years in prison after his public defender reached a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office Wednesday.

Righter bought art forgeries of the deceased artists — celebrated for their edgy urban renderings on the streets and subways of New York in the 1970s and ‘80s — online and at marketplaces. He then tried to make the works look legitimate by creating letters that falsely certified their authenticity, federal prosecutor Christopher Browne said. He created letters that appeared to be from “The Estate of Keith Haring” and the “Authentication Committee of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.”

“Righter even designed and purchased embossers bearing the name of Haring and Basquiat,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “He stamped the fake letters with the custom embossers, trying to sharpen the look of legitimacy.”

In 2016, Righter offered to sell the fraudulent art pieces to an unnamed Aventura gallery, auction houses and others, according to an indictment. When the gallery owner expressed interest, Righter shipped several of the forgeries from Los Angeles to a local warehouse.

His price for the forgeries was more than $1 million, the indictment says. Righter directed the gallery owner to wire the money to his bank account.

In addition to this case, Righter also faces federal criminal charges in California, where he is accused of selling forgeries of art works by Basquiat, Haring, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.

This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 6:00 AM.