Norval Morrisseau fraud case highlights why it's so hard to catch art criminals in Canada

High-end art fraud can seem like something out of a Mission Impossible movie, with suave criminals in black turtlenecks stealing a masterpiece from people wealthy enough to weather the loss. 

In reality, organized crime groups with ties to darker trades are behind much of the art-related crime in Canada and around the world. One example of that is a recent court case in Thunder Bay, Ont., that police say became the largest art fraud ring in Canadian history. 

Gary Lamont, the leader of the Norval Morrisseau fraud ring, had a criminal record spanning decades of narcotics trafficking, sexual assault and fraud convictions. Last week, he was sentenced to five years of incarceration, with credit for one year of time served. 

According to the agreed statement of facts, starting in 2002, Lamont oversaw the production and distribution of hundreds of forged artworks falsely attributed to Morrisseau, an Anishinaabe artist who died in 2007. 

Police, legal and other officials say a sentence like this is rare, despite being a serious crime, and many art criminals never see prison time due to limited art-crime specific investigative resources for police forces in Canada. 

Art-related fraud can be difficult to investigate, especially for the average person without a background in art history. 

"We went to the FBI to get advice on how to do something like this because it was foreign to us," said Thunder Bay Police Services Det. Sgt. Jason Ryback, lead investigator on the Morrisseau case. 

Christopher Marinello, a lawyer and chief executive officer of Art Recovery International based in New York, said criminals often make hundreds of millions of dollars from fake and stolen art, but rarely see legal consequences.

Art crime amounts to an estimated $6 billion to $8 billion each year, according to the Sotheby's Institute of Art. Between 2005 and 2015, the FBI's art crime team said it recovered more than $160 million worth of art in its first decade of operation.

"They move [art] to buy drugs, weapons. They could even be used to fuel international terrorism," said Marinello.  "Art crime is not just a rich man's problem — it's a major problem."

The oft-romanticized idea from Hollywood means many people don't take art crime seriously, said Marinello. 

"The art world is a very soft spot. It's a lot easier for them to get a light sentence dealing in fake artworks than dealing in drugs."

The five-year sentence Lamont received is more than the "slap on the wrist" art criminals usually receive, said Marinello. He hopes this is a sign that prosecutors are beginning to understand the gravity of art crime.  

The case against the Morrisseau fraud ring was prosecuted through the Ontario Serious Fraud Office, a newly formed initiative that brings police and prosecutors together to try to tackle major frauds through centralized investigations.