Teen Celebrity News

You Just Don’t Do That!

July 22, 2009 6:23 am 0 comments
That is the smile De Niro flashes to a dead man.

That is the smile De Niro flashes to a dead man.

The owner of a closed Manhattan art gallery that once boasted a star-studded clientele was arrested again Tuesday on charges of carrying out an art fraud that now totals $93 million.

Lawrence B. Salander of Millbrook, N.Y., is accused of stealing from artists, art owners, and investors. The victims include the estate of abstract expressionist Robert De Niro Sr., father of the famed actor, and tennis great John McEnroe.

De Niro’s pop?

Oh brother. You just don’t do that!

Salander can thank his lucky stars that De Niro was not the first one to get his hands on him. “You talkin’ to me?” Can anybody imagine the look on De Niro’s face when he found out someone was stealing from his dad?

The indictment unsealed Tuesday, the second against Salander in four months, charges him with grand larceny and falsifying business records.

It also names his Salander-O’Reilly Galleries LLC, which closed in 2007, and his 12-year gallery director, Leigh Morse, as defendants. The gallery was charged the same as Salander, and Morse was charged with grand larceny and fraud.

Salander, 60, and Morse, 53, pleaded not guilty Tuesday at their arraignments in Manhattan’s state Supreme Court.

Salander’s lawyer Charles Ross said there is “more to this case than meets the eye.” Ross added that his client will fight the charges vigorously and “will be completely vindicated.”

“You talkin’ to me?”

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