with eight counts of wire and mail fraud and estimated Sakhai had made $25 million from the deals. He was later released on bail. On March 4, 2004, Sakhai was charged with eight counts of fraud, and again released on bail. Later in 2004 he pleaded guilty to, according to his lawyer, "resolve his difficulties with the government and get this behind him". In July 2005 he was sentenced to 41 months in prison, fined $12.5 million, and ordered to forfeit eleven works of art. Both before and after charges were laid, Sakhai maintained he was innocent and openly discussed the case and his other business ventures with journalists. Other business ventures After charges were laid against him, Sakhai closed his Manhattan galleries and opened a new gallery, The Art Collection, in Great Neck, New York, which he continued to operate after his imprisonment. In 2009, Sakhai cooperated with ICE agents seeking to return a copy of Belgian artist Anto Carte's Young Girl in a Blue Dress stolen by the Nazis during World War II. Sakhai remains a resident of New York. References Art forgers American art dealers Living people 1952 births Iranian emigrants to the United States