Leslie Roberts, a 62-year-old Miami resident, faces federal charges for involvement in a conspiracy to sell forged artworks under the pretense that they were authentic pieces by Andy Warhol. Alongside Roberts, 37-year-old Carlos Miguel Rodriguez Melendez of Sunny Isles was also accused in the conspiracy.
The allegations stem from Roberts's activities at the Miami Fine Art Gallery in Coconut Grove, where he reportedly misrepresented the art as originals by Andy Warhol, allegedly obtaining them from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Furthermore, Roberts is accused of supplying fake invoices to buyers as part of the scheme.
Rodriguez Melendez purportedly posed as an employee of a New York auction house to authenticate the fake artworks, hiding their forgery. Roberts also faces charges of money laundering, with accusations of moving fraudulent proceeds from his Miami Fine Art Gallery to his personal account, involving transactions of $150,000, $40,000, and $50,000.
On April 9, 2025, Roberts and Melendez were taken into custody and appeared in federal court before being freed on bond. Their arraignment is scheduled for April 21. If found guilty of wire fraud conspiracy, the defendants could receive up to 20 years in prison, while Roberts faces an additional 10 years if convicted of money laundering.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles announced the proceedings. The FBI Art Crime Team and FBI West Palm Beach conducted the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman and Joshua Paster leading the prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is managing asset forfeiture.
"The indictment is an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court." Related documents can be accessed on the Southern District of Florida’s District Court website under case number 25-cr-20142.