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Brian Walshe sentenced on federal art fraud charges, murder case still pending
Walshe pleaded guilty to selling two counterfeit Andy Warhol paintings, federal charges that predate his high-profile murder case.
Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of killing and dismembering his wife Ana last year, will serve 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to selling counterfeit Andy Warhol paintings in a separate federal case.
Walshe, 49, was charged in the art fraud scheme in 2018 and pleaded guilty in 2021. He was accused of taking two authentic Warhol pieces from a friend, offering them for sale on eBay, and then delivering fake reproductions to an art dealer in California.
More on Brian Walshe:
Walshe pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud, interstate transportation for a scheme to defraud, possession of converted goods, and unlawful monetary transaction.
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Prosecutors alleged that Walshe’s crime “was not based on a one-off lapse in judgment, but based on a pattern of lies, deceit, and fraud,” and said he misrepresented his finances to the court while his case was pending.
“At best, the defendant painted a misleading picture of his financial situation, which was relevant to the determination of his ability to pay a fine or orders of restitution,” prosecutors wrote in a 2022 memorandum.
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Walshe to 37 months in prison for each count in his art fraud case, along with ordering him to serve three years of supervised release and pay $475,000 in restitution to his victims, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. His prison sentences will run concurrently with each other and with any state prison sentences Walshe faces down the line, according to the Boston Herald.
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Walshe’s murder case is still pending in Norfolk Superior Court. Accused of killing his wife and disposing of her body in January 2023, he pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, misleading police, and improper conveyance of a human body last April.
Prosecutors allege that Walshe made a series of disturbing Google searches about dead bodies and purchased a hacksaw, hatchet, and various cleaning products soon after Ana Walshe was last seen alive on New Year’s Day. Her body has not been found.
Brian Walshe is due back in Norfolk Superior Court on March 4.
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