The former director of collections at the Allentown Art Museum said Friday she lost thousands of dollars, her reputation and her mental well being to an art fraud scheme perpetrated by an associate who sold or attempted to sell fake works of art.

Speaking in a federal courtroom in downtown Reading Friday morning, Christine Oaklander encouraged a judge to sentence that associate, Carter P. Reese, to federal prison for his crimes.

“Your behavior is incomprehensible,” she said to Reese.

Reese, sitting beside his attorney at a table in U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl’s courtroom, was contrite.

“I am deeply and desperately sorry for what I have done,” he said.

The Berks County man didn’t provide an explanation for his actions. He didn’t tell the judge what led a successful and well-regarded member of the community to suddenly start selling fake works of art — lying about the authenticity of pieces he claimed were by world-renowned artists like Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.

In fact, Reese said, why he would make such a terrible decision is a question he’s been asking himself for the past four years.

That terrible decision, that choice to deceive and defraud, has led Reese’s life into ruins. And it will lead the 77-year-old into a federal prison cell.

Reese, who pleaded guilty to mail fraud and wire fraud in May, was sentenced by Schmehl on Friday to 60 days in prison followed by four months of home detention and two years of federal probation. He must pay a total of $186,125 in restitution to his victims and a $50,000 fine.

Friday’s hearing brought to close a strange and surprising saga that saw a respected member of the art world turned into a cautionary tale.

The Harvard-educated Reese is a former fine arts and history teacher at the prestigious Hill School in Pottstown. He was the owner of Carter P. Reese American Antiques and Fine Art, LLC and boasted a personal collection of over 17,000 antiquities.

He even, according to records, once owned the Wyomissing home where pop icon Taylor Swift grew up.

According to federal prosecutors, Reese used his good standing to hatch a criminal scheme.

Starting in February 2019, he began selling and attempting to sell works he claimed were created by some heavy hitters of the art world: Francis Bacon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Picasso and Warhol, to name a few.

Reese knew the works were fake — several having been purchased on eBay by a now-deceased associate who also faced fraud charges — and he lied about where he obtained them.

Some of his attempted sales were thwarted by buyers who realized the works were fake, but Reese continued to offer them to others for sale.

The scheme unraveled through the efforts of the FBI and Oaklander, who discovered the fraud while helping him attempt to sell some of the items.

Oaklander, an art consultant and art historian, was convinced by Reese to serve as an intermediary in the sale of several fraudulent items. After being confronted by buyers about the authenticity of the works and realizing Reese was trying to sell fake pieces of art, she worked with the FBI to investigate the scheme.

She allowed phone calls to be recorded and wore a wiretap while meeting with Reese, providing vital information that led to Reese being charged. FBI agents also purchased fraudulent artworks from Reese.

Oaklander spoke during Friday’s hearing, providing a victim impact statement about how Reese’s scheme has brought devastation and embarrassment onto her.

She said she couldn’t understand how someone could use his advantages in life to scam people rather than do good in the world.

Oaklander, who also was arts coordinator for the Lehigh Valley Health Network, was one of the prime victims of the scam.

In trying to help Reese sell his works, which she believed were real, Oaklander traveled extensively to do research and meet with prospective buyers. She invested nearly $130,000 in the effort — money which will be repaid through Reese’s restitution.

When Reese’s deceit became evident, Oaklander found herself victimized financially and with a damaged reputation.

“You conned me into being your front person,” she said.

Oaklander said Reese’s actions caused her deep and persistent mental suffering that left her facing daily bouts of anxiety and, at her worst moment, becoming borderline suicidal.

U.S. Attorney Ruth Mandelbaum told the judge that Reese’s plot was extensive and carefully planned, adding that he used the trust he had garnered in the art world to carry out his scheme.

Mandelbaum asked for a sentence of 10 to 16 months in prison, based on the nature of the crimes and his lack of any criminal history.

Reese’s defense attorney, Jason Hernandez, asked the judge not to incarcerate his client, citing the defendant’s advanced age and willingness to try to make amends.

Hernandez said Reese’s life greatly contrasts his crimes and that he has been a dedicated servant to his community. And when faced with his crimes, he quickly admitted guilt.

Reese has been working toward making his victims financially whole, Hernandez said, with much of his personal collection set for auction and the proceeds set to be used for restitution payments.

“His remorse is genuine,” Hernandez said, asking Schmehl to consider the “whole person” when sentencing Reese.

Reese said the ill-conceived scheme already has damaged him. He told Schmehl that he “strayed from a life on integrity” and knows that he will never be able to fully redeem himself. He asked for a chance to take on the challenge of rebuilding his life and self worth, creating a better person in the process.

Schmehl told Reese that he believed his contrition but felt a stiff penalty was still needed because the scheme was so elaborate and involved a significant number of victims.

“A meaningful sentence is, indeed, warranted in this case,” he said.

Reese will begin this sentence Oct. 24. Schmehl said he gave Reese time to attend to the auctioning of his property meant to fund his restitution.

https://www.mcall.com/2025/09/12/art-fraud-scheme-cost-allentown-art-museum-ex-official-thousands/