The art dealer who was allegedly swindled by murder suspect Brian Walshe said Walshe gave an “Oscar-worthy performance” to swindle him, according to reports.
Walshe was arrested in Massachusetts earlier this month for allegedly deceiving investigators investigating the disappearance of his wife Ana Walshe. Brian Walshe has pleaded not guilty to these charges.
On Tuesday, further murder charges were brought against Walshe, while he remained in police custody.
Speak against News weeksaid Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley, “We had hoped that Ana was alive, but the evidence led us in a very different direction.”
Ana Walshe had not been seen at their home in Cohasset, Massachusetts, since the early hours of Jan. 1. Although Brian Walshe has been charged with murder, Ana Walshe’s body has not been found.
Speaking to NewsNation, Daily Beast reporter Justin Rohrlich explained what the man allegedly told him through Brian Walshe.
Ron Rivlin, one of the top dealers of Warhol artwork in the US, told Rohrlich that Brian Walshe was “charismatic, articulate, transparent and professional” at first before changing completely.
Reflecting on Brian Walshe’s overall character, Rivlin also said, “He knows how to play the legal system, he knows how to play everyone and everything.
“He’s very calculated.”
Brian Walshe previously pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges, according to 2021 court documents.
Investigators believe he took and photographed authentic Andy Warhol paintings given to him by a friend, hoping to sell replicas on eBay.
Rohrlich said, “The original Warhols came from a college friend of Brian Walshe’s who he met in his freshman year.
“He was actually in South Korea attending this man’s wedding when he told him he could get a good price on these two Warhol canvases he had.
He listed them on eBay for $80,000 and a dealer in Los Angeles named Ron Rivlin ended up buying them.
He sent his aid to Boston from Los Angeles to cash a check for the two paintings.
“When they got back to LA he realized it was fake.
“He said that of the thousands of Warhols he’s bought in his dealership career, this is the only one [fake] that suited him.
“He said Walshe was just so good. [He told me] he said the right things until he got his money, he knew how to play it and then he disappeared.”
News week has reached out to the Norfolk County District Attorney and the Cohasset Police Department for comment.
The Cohasset Police Department
