Overview
- Police and prosecutors in Ravensburg say a 52-year-old posed as an art dealer on social networks to solicit artists and collect advance fees of about €2,000 per contract.
- Authorities estimate the losses at roughly €900,000 and are pursuing a particularly serious fraud case across nearly 140 alleged instances.
- The suspected offenses span October 2023 to February 2025, according to official statements.
- Searches in Lindau, Kressbronn and Friedrichshafen yielded more than 200 artworks, including about 60 paintings, which have largely been returned to identified victims.
- The woman is already imprisoned for other fraud offenses, and her 57-year-old husband is under investigation for alleged money laundering tied to multiple bank accounts.