8 People Arrested Over ‘Biggest Art Fraud in World History’ [Video]

Eight people have been arrested in connection with a case police have called the “biggest art fraud in world history.”

Ontario Provincial Police said in a press conference on Mar. 3 that along with the arrests, they have laid down 38 charges in a case involving the alleged widespread forging of artwork by renowned artist Norval Morrisseau, who’s widely regarded as the leading contemporary Indigenous artist in Canada.

At the same time, Ontario police have seized more than a thousand forged paintings, prints and others arts — although they admitted “the total number” of forgeries “produced and sold is unknown.”

Detective Inspector Kevin Veillieux with Ontario provincial police said in the press conference that there were three different groups behind the fraud, each copying Morrisseau’s art style and releasing art in his name.

This included one group called the “Thunder Bay Voss group”, which was allegedly created in 1996 by a man named David Voss, Veillieux said, per The Times. Canadian authorities believe …