The case against Lawrence B. Salander is underway. Prosecutors portrayed him as a master manipulator who operated out of a lavish gallery but cheated art collectors and artists of more than $88 million. Salander was arrested on Thursday with a 100-count indictment accusing him of grand larceny, falsifying business records, scheming to defraud investors, forging documents and perjury.
Sometimes he even sold the same painting to more than one buyer. Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau said at a news conference: “Why sell it once when you can sell it three times?” One official said that the authorities believed Salander’s take actually exceeded $100 million.
Salander allegedly used the money to finance an extravagant lifestyle as he tried to corner the market in Renaissance art at the Salander-O’Reilly Galleries on East 71st Street. The arrest came 17 months after the gallery was shut down and 16 months after Salander filed for bankruptcy.
To have a chance of avoiding conviction he needs a New York Criminal Attorney. Without a NY Criminal Lawyer he could face up to 25 years in prison on each of 13 counts of first-degree grand larceny and up to 15 years on each of 10 counts of second-degree grand larceny with additional time for other charges.
Salander was arrested at his multi-million dollar home in upstate Millbrook and was arraigned before Justice Michael J. Obus in State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Thursday. He was held in $1 million bail and will be forbidden to leave New York State. He is said to be pleading not guilty to the charges
The firm of Stephen Bilkis & Associates and its New York Criminal Defense Lawyers and convenient locations in the New York Metro Area including Turtle Bay, N.Y.C., can be very helpful to you if you find yourself a defendant in a criminal prosecution. Facing charges alone could lead to a very bad situation.