Kenneth Fetterman
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Fetterman is a famous art scam artist who occasionally partnered with Kenneth Walton to sell very expensive counterfeit art
on rigged auctions on eBay
.
One of his partners in the shill
bidding was Kenneth Walton, who had, in May 2000, sold a fake painting that was at the time the highest price ever paid for a painting in an online auction
. It was supposedly the undiscovered work of the late Northern California artist Richard Diebenkorn
. However, the fraud was discovered, and after Walton was investigated, it was uncovered that Walton, Scott Beach, and Fetterman were involved in a shill bidding ring and that Fetterman had faked many paintings. After running from the authorities using various aliases and living off of his fake paintings he was selling on eBay, he was finally caught indicted by a federal grand jury for rigging art auctions on eBay. In May 2004, Fetterman was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison.
Art forgery
Art forgery is the creation of works of art which are falsely attributed to other, usually more famous, artists. Art forgery can be extremely lucrative, but modern dating and analysis techniques have made the identification of forged artwork much simpler....
on rigged auctions on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.
One of his partners in the shill
Shill
A shill, plant or stooge is a person who helps a person or organization without disclosing that he or she has a close relationship with that person or organization...
bidding was Kenneth Walton, who had, in May 2000, sold a fake painting that was at the time the highest price ever paid for a painting in an online auction
Online auction business model
The online auction business model is one in which participants bid for products and services over the Internet. The functionality of buying and selling in an auction format is made possible through auction software which regulates the various processes involved.Several types of online auctions are...
. It was supposedly the undiscovered work of the late Northern California artist Richard Diebenkorn
Richard Diebenkorn
Richard Diebenkorn was a well-known 20th century American painter. His early work is associated with Abstract expressionism and the Bay Area Figurative Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. His later work were instrumental to his achievement of worldwide acclaim.-Biography:Richard Clifford Diebenkorn Jr...
. However, the fraud was discovered, and after Walton was investigated, it was uncovered that Walton, Scott Beach, and Fetterman were involved in a shill bidding ring and that Fetterman had faked many paintings. After running from the authorities using various aliases and living off of his fake paintings he was selling on eBay, he was finally caught indicted by a federal grand jury for rigging art auctions on eBay. In May 2004, Fetterman was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison.