A visitor to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain looks at Andy Warhol's "Shadows." The man arrested in Lynn allegedly tried to pass off two fakes as part of Warhol's "Shadows" series. (ANDER GILLENEA/AFP/Getty Images)
LYNN (WBZ-AM) -- A Lynn man has been arrested and charged with attempting to sell two paintings on eBay that he claimed were the work of Andy Warhol.
Federal authorities allege that 43-year-old Brian Walshe of Lynn sold the fake Warhols to an art dealer in California for $80,000 on the website back in November 2016.
But shortly after the sale, the dealer took a closer look and found out they were fakes. The dealer tried to get his money back, with no luck.
Authorities allege Walshe stole the real paintings, part of Warhol's "Shadows" series, pictured above, from their true owner, a South Korean national, ten years ago. They said he then offered fakes on eBay using photos of the originals. That would explain why the eBay postings included photos appearing to show the real paintings, complete with Warhol Foundation numbers, which apparently fooled the California dealer.
Walshe faces one count of wire fraud. The investigation is still ongoing.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports