The Sunny Isles man admitted to a wire fraud conspiracy in connection with the alleged forgery scheme by art dealer Les Roberts, whose Miami Fine Art Gallery in Center Grove was raided by the FBI in April.
Early last year, Carlos Rodriguez Melendez, dressed in all-black garb, white gloves and posing as an appraiser from a renowned London auction house, arrived at the Miami home of a wealthy collector and studied a set of prints, hanging upon a wall, purportedly by the pop-art icon Andy Warhol. His conclusion: authentic works of art.
The visit came as the collector, who had purchased millions of dollars’ worth of art through Coconut Grove’s Miami Fine Art Gallery, had begun to suspect he was the victim of an elaborate forgery scheme allegedly spearheaded by the gallery’s owner, Leslie Roberts.
Rodriguez, a 38-year-old Sunny Isles resident, pleaded guilty on June 23 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for masquerading as an appraiser at the collector’s home. He’s facing a maximum of 20 years in prison, though prosecutors are recommending a shorter term in light of his cooperation in the investigation.
According to federal officials, Roberts paid Rodriguez $5,500, provided him with bogus business cards bearing the auction house’s name, and deployed him to the collector’s residence alongside an associate, in an elaborate bid to cover up the art fraud.
Rodriguez’s plea deal indicates he agreed to pay $5,000 in restitution and continue collaborating with prosecutors, including testifying against co-defendants, if necessary.
As Rodriguez awaits sentencing, the criminal case against Roberts remains pending. In April, Roberts was indicted on wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering charges, and Miami Fine Art Gallery was swarmed by FBI agents in a full-scale raid first detailed by the Spotlight.
The collector, Richard Perlman, and his family claim Roberts bilked them out of $6 million on purchases of phony Warhol pieces after they met him at Miami Fine Art Gallery while shopping on Commodore Plaza in 2023. They say he set up a fraudulent email contact posing as a representative of the Warhol Foundation to help promote additional art purchases from Roberts.
A May 20 plea hearing for Roberts was postponed. He is due back in court in July.
The longtime gallery owner has an extensive criminal history dating back to the 1980s, when he was convicted of investment fraud for siphoning money from his uncle. And in 2014 he was sentenced to 22 months in prison after pleading guilty to selling forgeries of artist Peter Max’s work.
Despite the past criminal cases and a string of still-pending lawsuits — including a civil case brought by the Perlmans — Roberts and Miami Fine Art Gallery remained in business until the April indictment. Roberts hosted swanky weekend soirees at the now-shuttered location, showing off high-priced pieces purportedly by notable modern artists such as Banksy and Richard Orlinski.
The Perlmans’ lawyer previously told the Spotlight that his clients were unaware of Roberts’ criminal past when they began buying from him. “He went to great lengths to cover up the fraud,” attorney Luke Nikas said. “This is exactly the kind of art dealer that should be held accountable.”
Roberts attempted to secure bankruptcy protection twice in the last two years as fraud claims mounted. In May a judge found that Roberts failed to meet deadlines to submit documentation of his assets, expenses, and income, among other financial data.
Roberts’ bankruptcy case was closed on June 11, reopening avenues for claimants to pursue lawsuits against him in Miami-Dade civil court. The Perlmans reactivated their civil case this week and filed more than 15 subpoenas, primarily to collect information from companies that may have handled shipments of forged artworks.
