The Manhattan Artwork Advisor Lisa Schiff, who admitted that she had stolen hundreds of thousands of {dollars} shoppers, gave her artwork to purchase artwork, however which as an alternative burned to finance her luxurious, was sentenced to 2 and a half years within the federal jail on Wednesday.
US District Decide J. Paul Outken sentenced G -Ju Schiff, 55 -year -old, 30 months in jail, adopted by two years of managed launch to hold out a scheme by which she stole about $ 6.5 million from over a dozen shoppers, a lot of whom she has developed in shut private pals. The fraud by which I ga, I’ll both cope with the purchasers of the cash they entrusted to her (purchase them artwork) or to tear off the gross sales income of their collections, which she helped make it simpler, started in 2018 and got here to incorporate about 55 artworks. In 2023, after the shoppers confronted her, D -Ji Siff surrendered to the authorities. She pleaded guilty As much as one piece of wire fraud in October.
Whereas the scheme performed out, Mrs. Schiff lived a life that was positioned together with her shoppers, who mentioned in courtroom paperwork that they’d no concept that it was their cash she spends whereas touring with them on the Truthful Chain of Artwork, belittling her to love spies and charters. The revelations concerning the d -Jef shook the world of artwork by which she had risen to prominence as a one -time advisor to Leonardo DiCaprio and the place she was positioned as an moral authority to a big extent unregulated artwork enterprise, which advises or manages wealthy collectors on what he works.
“For 5 years, Lisa Schiff has violated the arrogance of her clients to an artwork marketing consultant by diverting hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to pay her personal enterprise and private bills and to fund an expensive life-style,” mentioned an announcement by appearing US lawyer Matthew Podolski on Wednesday. “Because of the lies of Schiff and her illusory consulting fraud, Schiff will now serve a big sentence in jail.”
Reached with a textual content message, Mrs. Schiff, who lives in Stewsant City in Manhattan together with her 12-year-old son whereas ready for a sentence, declined to remark and reply to the investigation of this reporter with “No Remark” and Coronary heart Emoji.
In a Previous interview with The New York TimesFor his first, since she pleaded responsible, D -Ji Cif mentioned he was affected by habit issues on the time. She expressed regret for her actions, particularly since they had been related together with her youngster, to whom she raises herself. Within the interview, she mentioned her son would handle her brother whereas she was serving her sentence. “I really feel so responsible of my victims, so responsible,” she mentioned on the time. “However I’m shocked that I didn’t take into consideration what I used to be doing to my son,” G -Ji Schiff added.
“It was an emotional, skilled and troublesome time for everybody,” says her lawyer Randy Zelin in an e-mail. “All with pores and skin on this are affected.” He added: “We are going to now work to place Lisa to succeed whereas she is in custody to remedy her as rapidly as potential.”
Wendy J. Lindstrom, a lawyer who represents seven of the individuals who choose her, together with the heiress of actual property and the distinguished collector of the humanities Candice Barash, who considered a d -shif as a close friendAnd who has since filed lawsuits claiming that her longtime advisor has stolen hundreds of thousands of it has not responded to a request for remark on the time of publication.
D -Ji Ciff introduced chapter and her private artwork assortment is auctioned to repay her clients. As a part of her sentence, the courtroom ordered Guja Schiff to take greater than $ 6.4 million and a restitution of over $ 9 million to the folks she robbed.
