A Wilton man pleaded guilty for his role in a scheme involving counterfeit paintings.
Nicholas P. Hatch, 29, was the owner of Hatch Estate Services LLC, an estate sales company based in Norwalk. Between approximately April 2020 and January 2022, Hatch used various websites to sell purported paintings by the iconic artist Peter Max. Hatch was aware the paintings were forgeries and used multiple aliases and provided fake certificates of authenticity while communicating via email with purchasers during the sale process.
Through this scheme, Hatch sold 145 fraudulent Peter Max paintings and defrauded 43 purchasers out of a total of $248,600. He was arrested on a criminal complaint on May 9 and has been in custody since July 14, after he violated the conditions of pre-trial release.
Hatch pleaded guilty to mail fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 30.
Photo: Peter Max”™s artwork on a 1974 U.S. postage stamp, courtesy Wikimedia Commons
