Art forgery

A great story about art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi. It is a crime to forge another artists work but I consider it more of a soft crime -- the people who buy paintings for $120,000 have money to spend and the forgeries take on a certain notoriety and value themselves. From Joshua Hammer writing at Vanity Fair:

The Greatest Fake-Art Scam in History?
Nobody in Freiburg could remember a party quite like it. The date was September 22, 2007, and Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi, affluent newcomers to this lively university town near Germany�s Black Forest, had invited friends and neighbors to celebrate a milestone. Workers had just put the finishing touches on their $7 million villa, after 19 months of extensive renovations. Lanterns lit up the cobblestone walkway to the hillside house, a five-level minimalist structure with a glass and Siberian-larch-wood fa�ade, steel beams, pastel-colored tile floors, and contemporary paintings and sculptures filling every room. The staff of Freiburg�s luxurious Colombi Hotel�where the Beltracchis had lodged in a $700-a-night penthouse suite when they were in town during the remodeling�had prepared the ample food and drink, including magnums of fine champagne. The Beltracchis had even flown in a celebrated four-member flamenco band from Granada to dance and sing for their 100 guests.

A long article but a delightful read. Great story and the Beltracchis sound like they would be great people to hang out with (as long as you aren't into art collecting).