New York ( CNN ) -- A former studio assistant to American artist Jasper Johns is accused of stealing and selling pieces of Johns ' art in a multimillion-dollar scheme . James Meyer , 51 of Salisbury , Connecticut , allegedly stole 22 pieces of unfinished art from a studio file drawer he was responsible for maintaining in a Sharon , Connecticut , art studio . He then provided them to a Manhattan art gallery for sale , according to a news release from the U.S. district attorney for the Southern District of New York . Between 2006 and 2012 , Meyer also provided sworn , notarized certifications to the gallery that the pieces were authentic Johns works and said that he had been given each of them as a gift from Johns , according to the news release . The 22 pieces were sold by the Manhattan gallery for $ 6.5 million , of which $ 3.4 million went to Meyer , who was arrested Wednesday and is charged with one count of interstate transportation of stolen property and one count of wire fraud . Meyer was a studio assistant for Johns for more than 25 years and was responsible for maintaining a drawer of unfinished works . These pieces of art were not authorized to be sold by Johns , according to the U.S. attorney 's office . `` As alleged , James Meyer exploited his position of trust to steal repeatedly from his long-time employer . That his employer is a renowned American artist only made the crime more lucrative '' George Venizelos , FBI assistant director-in-charge of the New York field office , said Thursday . Interstate transportation of stolen property carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison , while wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 . Johns rose to prominence as an American contemporary artist in the middle of the 20th century . His works can be seen in many museums , including the National Gallery of Art . Among his best-known paintings are `` Flag , '' a depiction of the American flag , and `` False Start , '' a mix of various colors along with stenciled names of colors . In 2011 Johns was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom , which honors the `` especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States , to world peace , or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors . '' CNN 's Ben Brumfield contributed to this report .
DA accuses Sharon of stealing 51 pieces of unfinished art from a studio file drawer . The works were sold by a New York gallery for $ 3.4 million , the DA says . Meyer was a studio assistant for Meyer for more than 25 years .