Spouses Preobrazhensky convicted of fraud in pictures

Tverskoi court in Moscow yesterday delivered its verdict on the sensational case antique - director salon «Russian Collection» Tatiana Preobrazhenskaya and her husband, a teacher academy general Igor Preobrazhensky. The couple found guilty of selling counterfeit five paintings worth more than 700 thousand dollars, theft outline Konstantin Makovsky and tax evasion. Mrs. Preobrazhenskaya sentenced to nine years in prison, and her husband - to eight and a half years.

The trial of the very loud case of fraud on the Russian market of antiques has lasted almost a year (the beginning of the «Kommersant» reported on 11 November last year). As is evident from the verdict, read out yesterday by the presiding officer Peter Podoprigora, in 2003, the wife of Transfiguration, moved the capital from St. Petersburg, removed space in the basement Gostiny Dvor, where he opened a gallery «Russian Collection». Mrs. Preobrazhenskaya became CEO, and her husband, the number of the manager staff actually performing the role of the driver (he also taught at the Academy of general). In March 2004, said the verdict in the antique salon in the Central House of Artists couple met with the commercial director of «Eleks Auto» Valery Uzzhinym. He collected antique clocks and silver, and is considering to expand its collection of paintings by Russian artists. New friends, refers to the case, arranging a tour of the entrepreneur cabin, immediately demonstrated their business skills, to go shooting down to 10 thousand dollars to the price of cloth brush Ivan Bilibin , which is like an entrepreneur. Then the wife promised to help the business person in the preparation of his collection, and among them was a friendly attitude. According to investigation, during the joint posidelok at home or on the testimony of Tatiana Preobrazhenskaya urged car owner, that contact with other art dealers, Mr. Uzzhinu not: say, he was an amateur and sellers deceived him. And Mrs. Transfiguration, as the candidate of art history and antiques expert, she said, was ready to assume all the efforts related to the search, examination and evaluation required for the collection of paintings by a businessman. The entrepreneur has agreed to, then call on Mrs. Preobrazhenskaya came to shop, it dealt with the proposed work (there are, according to Mr Uzzhina, antiquary was as unknown masterpieces of Russian masters) and then pay cash. A total of «Russian Collection» businessman bought 34 paintings at a cost of 8 million dollars, while the largest was the purchase of paintings painted by Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin per 600 thousand dollars. Mrs. Preobrazhenskaya, said the materials, even personally guarantee the authenticity of the customer bought it and their historical value, issuing a certificate of authenticity to the car form «Russian collections». It seems that cooperation was mutually beneficial: in the case file states that the owner of the gallery soon bought an apartment in downtown Moscow and began to think about purchasing a car, and Bentley's own gallery in the area Ostozhenka. At the same time, questioned in court antique colleagues reported that the wife threatened with reprisals if they try anything to sell to Mr. Uzzhinu without their knowledge. In 2005, however, drew attention to the familiar art businessman Uzzhina that there are collections of the last nine works by Alexander Kiselyov, while the Tretyakov Gallery thereof only seven. In this regard, the art critic questioned the authenticity of certain acquisitions of a businessman, after which Mr. Uzzhin began an independent investigation and found that two dozen paintings and antiques sold him spouses Preobrazhensky, are counterfeit. However, when the businessman demanded the return of paid money for this work, Tatiana Preobrazhenskaya, said the case took a studio owned by car RaeKi outline Konstantin Makovsky «Nude with timbrel», then stopped responding to calls. Valery Uzzhin contacted the police, in October 2005 the wife had been arrested in his apartment at Plyushchikha, then more than two years investigating the investigative committee in the Russian Federation Ministry of Internal Affairs and the main investigation department of the capital Municipal Department of Internal Affairs dealt with the emergence of intricate pattern falshivok. In particular, the investigation found that a well-known in the capital of the art-dealer Dmitry Kuteynikov, he Dima Bull (now in the search), at auction in Denmark to become the work of little-known Western authors of the XIX century Janus La Kura, and Anderson-Lyunbdyu, similar to the manner of writing Russians Peredvizhniki. Paid for pictures of Dima Bull 5-6 thousand dollars, and then smuggled paintings were delivered to Russia, where they applied the signature artists Kisseleva and Orlovsky. As a result, cloth, together with expert opinion the Russian art scientific restoration center named Tatiana Grabar Goryacheva (held in the case of a witness) sold Tatiana Preobrazhenskaya for 30-40 thousand dollars, but that this picture has already been resold to the client at a price of 120-155 thousand dollars. That is, according to the investigation, and were sold to businessman Uzzhinu five paintings, and later accepted false.

Court yesterday admitted the couple Preobrazhensky organized criminal group committed fraudulent sale of five paintings in the amount of 730 thousand dollars. In addition, the Transfiguration of the Lord found guilty of stealing a sketch of Konstantin Makovsky and non-payment of taxes amounting to 4.68 million rubles. Tatiana Preobrazhenskaya received nine years of general regime colony, her husband - eight and a half years of the colony of strict regime. The convicts also have to pay Valeria Uzzhinu 21.6 million rubles. Mrs. Preobrazhenskaya at the end of reading the sentence screamed that it will appeal (the wife guilty in a court not admitted), then exclaimed, turning to it for the camera: «Mr. President, stop reydersky seizing my property !».

Source: kommersant.ru