Latest news with #JimWhite
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Ont. man awaits sentence amid art fraud case involving renowned Indigenous artist Norval Morriseau
Convicted art fraudster Jim White, 84, left the Newmarket courthouse on Thursday awaiting his sentence. In June, White pleaded guilty to producing forged documents and possessing and trafficking more than 500 pieces of fake art and mimicking the works of Norval Morisseau. Some pieces sold for tens of thousands of dollars. Morrisseau, often called the 'Picasso of the north,' is widely recognized as the grandfather of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada. Morrisseau died in 2007, and for years his estate has fought forgeries that flooded the art world market. Art Fraud ring that authenticated and sold purported works of the late renowned Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau.(Supplied) In court Thursday, the crown asked Justice Michelle Fuerst to sentence White to two years of house arrest. While the defense agreed with a two-year sentence, they argued for one-third of that sentence to be on house arrest with the remainder on curfew. Citing White's age and health as factors. White will turn 85-years-old in April and has multiple lingering health issues pertaining to his knees and lungs. Art Fraud ring that authenticated and sold purported works of the late renowned Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau.(Supplied) Four victim impact statements were read in the courtroom Thursday, each outlining a feeling of being taken advantage of. A representative of Morisseau's estate also addressed the court, citing the financial impact. Two victims have also come forward seeking restitution totaling $10,000. Justice Fuerst asked White if he had anything to say to the court; he declined, and White's lawyers also declined to comment on the sentencing hearing Thursday. Two other co-accused pleaded guilty last year and were sentenced to five years in prison. White will be back in court in Newmarket on August 29 for the judge's sentence. White's co-accused, David Paul Bremner, is also scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
Globe and Mail
03-07-2025
- Globe and Mail
Art dealer moved $450,000 worth of Morrisseau fakes, new court document reveals
An 84-year-old art dealer who pleaded guilty last week in a sprawling investigation into the distribution of counterfeit Norval Morrisseau artwork bought around 500 fakes for more than $450,000 and then distributed them across Canada, according to an agreed statement of facts released Wednesday. The document outlines his role in selling forgeries, while peeling back another layer of what investigators call the biggest case of art fraud in Canadian history, a major scheme that has tarnished the late Anishinaabe artist's legacy. The dealer, Jim White, was one of eight people arrested in March, 2023, as part of Project Totton, a years-long police investigation into two counterfeiting rings responsible for producing and selling between 4,500 and 6,000 fake Morrisseau works, according to officers. Two of the eight accused had previously pleaded guilty, and charges against at least one other have been withdrawn. Investigators had anticipated that Mr. White – along with two other defendants, David Bremner and Jeffrey Cowan – would go to trial. Last week, before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket, Ont., Mr. White pleaded guilty to uttering forged documents and possessing property obtained by crime for the purpose of trafficking. 'We were quite taken aback when we were notified that there was a potential plea agreement in place for Jim White,' said Thunder Bay Police Inspector Jason Rybak, who co-led Project Totton. Once called Picasso of the North, Mr. Morrisseau died in 2007 having earned international renown. His work featured vibrant colours and depictions of people and animals outlined in thick black lines, a style that came to be called the Woodland School. First Nations leaders say Mr. Morrisseau's art has been instrumental in helping to explain their history. According to the agreed statement of facts, Mr. White began selling Morrisseau works in 1999. Back then, most of the works he distributed originated from one of the co-accused, David Voss, who last year admitted in court that he had counterfeited upwards of 1,500 works falsely attributed to Mr. Morrisseau. Mr. White admits no wrongdoing related to the Voss fakes. He tried to verify their authenticity by commissioning handwriting analyses, affidavits and other documents attesting to their provenance. In 2016, he turned to a new source of Morrisseaus: Mr. Cowan. He says he met Mr. Cowan and viewed a number of Morrisseaus that raised several 'red flags.' Despite carrying 1980s dates, they appeared to be 'newer' and the English signatures didn't conform with earlier Morrisseau signatures he'd seen. What's more, Mr. Cowan sold the art from his garage in St. Thomas, Ont., and only accepted cash or e-transfers. Mr. White states that he was told Mr. Cowan acquired the art from a deceased uncle as well as from a former lover of Mr. Morrisseau's. Despite harbouring suspicions that the works were forgeries, Mr. White 'purposely turned a blind eye' to anything that might undermine their legitimacy, the document states. Between 2016 and 2021, he made 44 trips to Mr. Cowan's home to buy more than 470 forgeries. Mr. White pegged total costs at more than $450,000. To hide the art's provenance, Mr. White enlisted an appraiser, Mr. Bremner, to create certificates that declared the Cowan paintings to be authentic. The allegations against Mr. Cowan and Mr. Bremner have not been tested in court. Mr. White would then sell or consign the forgeries to auctioneers and galleries across Canada that would, in turn, sell them to the public. His fortunes began to shift in 2019 with the release of There Are No Fakes, a documentary that identifies Mr. White and others as major forces behind a shadowy counterfeiting scheme. The police investigation began shortly after its release. In 2021, police executed a search warrant on Mr. White's home and seized 59 forgeries traced to Mr. Cowan, along with 114 prints of forgeries and numerous certificates of authenticity, many affixed with a stamp from the Morrisseau Family Foundation, an organization formed by Mr. Morrisseau's sons and daughter around the time of his 2007 death. Jonathan Sommer, a lawyer who has represented several unwitting buyers of Morrisseau fakes, said the appearance of a foundation stamp needs to be further explored. 'It's a positive step to have more information about how the fraud rolled out over time,' he said. 'But the larger story still has massive gaps.' Police also seized $30,700 from a floor safe, funds Mr. White admits are the proceeds of crime. Mr. White has declined through his lawyer to comment on the guilty plea. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 7.
Globe and Mail
27-06-2025
- Globe and Mail
Ontario art dealer Jim White pleads guilty to selling forged Morrisseau artworks
An Ontario art dealer has pleaded guilty to his role in what investigators have called Canada's largest art fraud case, admitting he handled works falsely attributed to the late Anishinaabe painter Norval Morrisseau. Jim White appeared before an Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket, Ont., on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to uttering forged documents and possessing property obtained by crime for the purpose of trafficking. Through his lawyer, Emily Lam, he declined to comment after the proceeding. Mr. White was one of eight people charged in March, 2023, as part of a 2½-year art fraud investigation that would identify two distinct counterfeiting rings – one based in Thunder Bay, the other in Southern Ontario – responsible for faking thousands of Morrisseaus. Mr. White's precise role is unclear from available court records, but one of the co-accused, David Voss, identified Mr. White as a 'major distributor' of forgeries in court filings last year. Mr. Voss admitted to overseeing 'the production and distribution of thousands of forged artworks falsely attributed to Norval Morrisseau' and claimed that Mr. White 'consigned the forgeries to auction houses and galleries across Canada, where the forgeries were sold to unsuspecting members of the public.' Mr. Voss was handed a five-year prison sentence for his role. Mr. White's sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 7. The Morrisseau investigation launched in 2020, shortly after Jason Rybak, a Thunder Bay Police homicide investigator, watched There Are No Fakes, a TVO documentary that identified many key players in the forgery scheme. McGill believes it has painting falsely attributed to acclaimed artist Norval Morrisseau after investigation Insp. Rybak partnered with the OPP to investigate the film's explosive allegations. In the documentary, Mr. White states that '100 per cent' of his business came from Morrisseaus and that he'd personally dealt with 189 works by the late painter. At one point in the documentary, Mr. White tells filmmaker Jamie Kastner, 'I have never seen a fake, have you?' Insp. Rybak said that statement makes the guilty plea all the more gratifying. 'He was a central figure in the documentary saying there were no fakes and today that has culminated in him admitting that paintings he had in his possession and that he sold were fake,' said Insp. Rybak on Wednesday. Lawyer Jonathan Sommer, who has defended unwitting buyers of Morrisseau fakes and tried in vain for years to get the police involved, said Mr. White played a significant role in denying that any forgeries existed. 'He's been very litigious in all of this,' said Mr. Sommer. 'His position always centred on the idea that there were no fakes.' Once called the Picasso of the North, Mr. Morrisseau died in 2007 having earned a reputation as one greatest artists in the country. His work featured depictions of people and animals in thick black lines, a style that came to be called the Woodland School. In the years before his death, Mr. Morrisseau identified dozens of counterfeit works. But buyers who tried to sue galleries for selling them suspect Morrisseaus ran into legal hurdles trying to prove a painting was a definitive fake. Barenaked Ladies band member Kevin Hearn was one of those plaintiffs. His lawsuit against the gallery that sold him a dubious Morrisseau forms the basis of the documentary. Mr. White intervened in that case. 'To hear [Mr. White] plead guilty to criminal offences is a watershed moment,' said Mr. Sommer, who represented Mr. Hearn. 'This is something we've been waiting on for a long time.'
The National
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Steven Gerrard shares relaxed beach clip amid Rangers links
Talk of the 44-year-old returning to the Ibrox hotseat after four years away has been growing in recent days, to the point Jim White was yesterday claiming it was happening and he was taking Steven Davis and Jordan Henderson with him as assistants. It had been claimed Gerrard and Russell Martin were in a two-horse race for the job and then it emerged the latter was the frontrunner for Leicester City. Other names like Davide Ancelotti have been very strongly quoted but the Gerrard murmurings have grown and grown, especially as Djibril Cisse announced he had pulled out of a charity match for "professional reasons". However, it would appear the former Gers boss is still in Bahrain, where he lived when manager of Saudi side Al-Ettifaq. Read more: Rangers face fight to hang onto highly-rated youngster as EPL clubs circle How Steven Gerrard can get Rangers closer as Celtic 'no world beaters' (Image: Instagram/stevengerrard) This morning he posted a video to his Instagram story, taken from the sea as he showed off a sun-kissed beach with golden sand and clear blue water. He tagged the Four Seasons Hotel at Bahrain Bay. This would appear to suggest he is still chilling out in the Middle East and despite claims his appointment at Rangers could be imminent, if of course the video is taken today.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Europa League final 2025: Build up and latest updates from Tottenham vs Manchester United
21 May 2025 5:08pm 5:08PM 'Six teams would be an absurdity' The winners of tonight's final will join the Premier League's top five in next season's Champions League. It was once contentious when a tournament previously reserved for league winners was expanded to include two, three, and then four teams from the big leagues. Six would be unprecedented and would present logistical challenges. Clubs from the same association are not supposed to play each other in the league phase. The six Premier League teams will play eight games each in a 36-team tournament. You do the maths. As Jim White writes here, it is part of the slow dilution of Europe's Premier club competition. The time has long gone to hark back to the glorious days when the only way two clubs from the same country could make it into the European Cup is for one of them to have won the thing the previous season. 5:00PM United and Spurs' season comes down to one night in Bilbao It seems grossly unfair for a club's entire season to be defined by one 90 minutes, but that is the unavoidable predicament facing Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur going into tonight's Europa League final. Losing a final is always painful, but sometimes offers forms of consolation: the wins along the away in a cup run for example, or the promise of greater success next season. That is not the case this evening. The losing finalists will be left with nothing, in every sense. No trophy, no Champions League qualification, no increase in revenues, and only a historically bad Premier League season on which to reflect during a long, bitter summer. Defeat could also prompt managerial change, especially in the case of Ange Postecoglou. That has informed the sense that this game is more about looming negative consequences rather than the prize on offer, though Spurs supporters would dispute that. They have enjoyed several seasons in the Champions League in recent memory, including an appearance in the 2019 final. Major silverware has been absent since the 2008 League Cup though, a barren run of such infamy there is an X account tallying up the days since Tottenham's last trophy. The total stands at 6,296. The opposite is probably true for United, who have lifted pots in each of the last two seasons but need Champions League revenues to fund the rejuvenation of the squad Ruben Amorim requires. Haphazard spending on transfer fees and wages and a decline in league position has put the club on a difficult financial footing in the PSR era. That has brought talks of selling academy graduates such as Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho. Win tonight and Amorim might be offered a shortcut in his rebuild, lose and it could stall further. Tottenham have won this competition twice, in 1972 and 1984, while United did so in 2017 under Jose Mourinho. They lost the 2021 final on penalties to Villarreal, a result from which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer never quite recovered. Spurs are without James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski through injury. United were handed a surprise boost as Lenny Yoro, Diogo Dalot and Joshua Zirkzee all trained this week. Amorim's dilemma will be whether to stick with Rasmus Hojlund, whose form has been stuck in a rut.
