LOS ANGELES, CA (AP).- A West Hollywood antiques dealer has been charged with selling a phony Picasso for $2 million.
Federal prosecutors said Friday that 69-year-old Tatiana Khan was charged with wire fraud and other crimes. She's free pending arraignment but could face 45 years in prison if convicted.
A call to her lawyer wasn't immediately returned.
Prosecutors contend Khan paid an artist $1,000 in 2006 to duplicate a Pablo Picasso pastel called "The Woman in the Blue Hat" and sold the forgery for $2 million.
The FBI stepped in last year after the buyer had the work examined and learned it was a fake.
On Friday, FBI agents seized a genuine Willem de Kooning painting from Khan. Authorities claim she bought it for $720,000 using proceeds from the Picasso sale.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
