FBI Raids Galleries in Beverly Hills

FBI agents and local police raided two Beverly Hills art galleries late Wednesday and seized more than 100 copies of works by noted 20th Century artists, police said.

Officers would not say what led to the seizure but did say that “art forgeries” were involved in the raid on the Upstairs Gallery on North Rodeo Drive and another gallery in the 400 block of North Beverly Drive.

KCBS-TV reported that copies of works by Leroy Nieman, Marc Chagall and Joan Miro were involved. The station also said that one person had been taken into custody in connection with the seizures but did not say on what charges.

The television station said the raids followed the arrest in August of Anthony Gene Tetro, 39, of Claremont, who District Attorney Ira Reiner described as “the nation’s largest forger of paintings.”

Tetro is awaiting trial on 44 counts of forgery. Among the allegedly forged art works seized at the time of his arrest were Miro lithographs and 10 Chagall paintings.