Antique Fraud : Russ Pritchard III
Anyone interested in using an antiques dealer, broker or auctioneer to sell their valuables needs to look twice at the person who will be handling their transaction. There are a great many dishonest dealers out there and sometimes even respected Antiques Dealers can be involved in shady transactions. To illustrate this consider the case of Russ Pritchard III.
Back in the late 1990's, Russ Pritchard III was considered one of Antique Roadshows most popular appraisers. He and his partner George Juno owned and operated American Ordnance Preservation Association (AOPA) where they appraised, purchased, and sold military-related artifacts. He is accused of using his status to deceive amateur collectors and history buffs and cheat them out of their valuables. Pritchard and 2 other men staged a fake Antiques Roadshow taping in July 1996 in which they appraised a Confederate Civil War sword. Called the "Watermelon sword", an actor who claimed the sword had been in his family for generations - since the Civil War - recounted a family tale in which the sword was used to cut watermelon at family events. Russ Pritchard III and his partner George Juno then falsely appraised the fake sword as being worth $35,000. This tape was then submitted and aired on Antiques Roadshow. Antiques Roadshow, of course, had no knowledge that this was a fraudulent taping. This is only one example of the many people who AOPA defrauded. Numerous collectors contacted Pritchard after seeing the Watermelon sword show on Antiques Roadshow. By August 2001, Pritchard, his father Russell Pritchard, Jr, and Juno were indicted for more than $1.2 million in historical memorabilia fraud. Russell Pritchard III pleaded guilty to more than twenty counts including wire fraud, mail fraud, theft from a museum, and Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property in December of 2001. On January 18, 2002, Russell Pritchard, Jr., and a former Civil War Library and Museum curator in Philadelphia were found guilty of theft from a museum and aiding and abetting after the fact in a case involving a Confederate war uniform. Russell Pritchard III was sentenced to one year in prison and was ordered to repay $830,000 for staging phony appraisals and defrauding Civil War militaria collectors in July of 2002. Pritchard III pleaded guilty to making false TV appraisals. He admitted defrauding artifact owners by giving them low appraisals on items, then reselling them at much higher prices and keeping the profits for himself. One would hope this would be the end of the story, unfortunately its not. Pritchard and his partners ran an antique consignment and appraisal operations out of a store in Bryn Mawr, PA. In 2005 a Bucks County Pennsylvania woman, Sandra Udinson, brought a civil suit against Pritchard for defrauding her at an auction in June. Pritchard had agreed to place 60 items up for auction assuring her the right to set reserves. Pritchard sold several of the items, which were valued at over $50,000, for what he told Udinson for $3000. Later he changed that figure to $6000. Lawyers were able to retrieve several items. A jury demanded a preliminary judgement of "$50,000, plus interest, costs, attorney's fees and such other relief as the court deems just". After years of not seeing any money from this lawsuit, Russ Pritchard III is scheduled to be arraigned next week on theft charges and is now a fugitive. David Zellis, the Bucks County Assistant District Attorney said Pritchard, who is awaiting sentencing in a similar Montgomery County case, failed to attend the preliminary hearing last month, and a fugitive warrant was issued. The arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 28, 2007. Pritchard's company's website is no longer active and he unable to be contacted by phone. If you are interested in selling your family heirlooms, antiques or other collectibles be sure to: ---- Silas Finch is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Collectible Antiques Etc. He can be reached at Content and Solutions or by email at silas@collectibleantiquesetc.com. |
