A French court sentenced antiques expert Bill Pallot to four years, including time already served, for defrauding the Palace of Versailles and rich collectors by peddling modern furniture as historic 18th-century pieces. Along with accomplice Bruno Desnoues and a gallery, Pallot deceived buyers, pocketing around €1.2 million while inflicting an estimated €4.5 million in damage from the scandal that came to light in 2016. Despite the significant deceit, the prestigious Kraemer antique gallery was acquitted of charges, having been accused of inadequate verification processes.
On Wednesday, Pallot was sentenced to a four-year term including four months behind bars, fined €200,000 and handed a five-year ban on working as an expert.
Desnoues presented himself as a humble artisan uninterested in money and motivated only by his love of art and "the pleasure of making beautiful things."
We thought we'd do it for fun, to see if the art market would notice or not, "It went without a hitch," Pallot told the court.
The scam caused an estimated €4.5 million in damage, duping the Palace of Versailles and wealthy collectors into purchasing modern furniture as historic pieces.
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