A Michigan art dealer, Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz, was sentenced on February 16th to 41 months in prison on one count of wire fraud for defrauding art collectors of $1.45 million. The judge also ordered Spoutz, 34, of Mount Clemens, Michigan, to forfeit the $1.45 million and to pay $154,100 in restitution.

Although Spoutz has been sentenced, the FBI does not believe they have seen the last of the fakes he peddled by artists such as Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, and Joan Mitchell, and others.

Protecting the integrity of America’s art—in all its forms—is a special priority for the FBI and our dedicated Art Crime Team. “It’s our heritage; it’s who we are. We have to protect it,” says Special Agent Christopher McKeogh from the FBI’s Art Crime Team New York. “Fake art and fraud schemes like this damage that heritage.”

If you believe you are a victim and purchased a fraudulent painting, please call the New York Art Crime Team at (212) 384-1000 or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.